CHLOROFORM ANESTHETIC(1847)

SIMPSON EASES THE PAIN OF CHILDBIRTH  

     

     Simpson‘s innovation brought down the wrath of church and the medical establishment .the bible taught the women should bring forth in pain , and doctors claimed  pain was a biological necessity . With such opposition, chloroform did not become widely established until 1853, when Queen Victoria used it for the delivery of her last child. The use of chloroform as anesthetic was finally abandoned in the early twentieth century when it was shown to be responsible for a number of fatal heart attacks.

     James Simpson (1811-1870), professor of obstetrics at university of Edinburgh, Scotland, was the first doctor to use chloroform in childbirth. He had become dissatisfied with the use of ether and set about finding an alternative, using himself and friends as guinea pigs. On November 4, 1847 the group tried chloroform tradition has it that Simpson’s wife, on bringing in Dinner found them all sleep under the table. Simpson immediately recognized the advantages of chloroform over ether; it was inflammable, lighter, and easier to administer. Within a week he had administer the chemical to over thirty labors.

“Doctor Snow gave that blessed chloroform and the effect was soothing, quieting, and delightful
                                     -Queen Victoria of United Kingdom