The New England Journal of Medicine (one of the preeminent and most respected medical journals in the world) recently celebrated its 200-year anniversary in 2012. As part of its celebration, readers were invited to nominate and vote for the most important article published in the 200 year history of the NEJM.
The article entitled, “Insensibility during surgical operations produced by inhalation. Boston Med Surg J 1846;35(16):309-317” by Boston surgeon Henry Jacobs Bigelow, was the recipient of this award. This article described how Boston dentist (Yeah!) Dr. William Morton, demonstrated the use of ether to achieve general anesthesia during a surgical procedure on October 16th, 1846 at the Massachusetts General Hospital.
This was a momentous moment in medicine, as prior to this procedure, painful and gruesome procedures such as limb amputations were performed without general anesthesia. The importance of the discovery of general anesthesia by Dr. William Morton stands tall as one of the most significant developments in modern medicine. It was for this reason, that this 1846 article was voted the most important article in 200 years published by the New England Journal of Medicine.
The Ether Dome which is located at Massachusetts General Hospital is still used as a classroom and meeting area for faculty. In fact, if you are interested, you can still tour the dome (for free) and see in person, this monument to a great moment in medicine.
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