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When Was Anesthesia First Used? The 1842 Ether Surgery That Changed Medicine
Before anesthesia, surgery was something patients had to endure fully conscious—restrained, aware, and in pain.
In 1842, one physician challenged that reality. Using ether, he performed a procedure that would quietly change medicine forever.
But the discovery did not spread immediately, and the credit did not come easily.
This is the story of the first surgery without pain—and the questions it left behind.
2 days ago5 min read
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