William T. G. Morton

William T. G. Morton was an American dentist who publicly demonstrated ether anesthesia during surgery in Boston in 1846, helping establish its use in medicine.

Ether Dome: The operating theater at Massachusetts General Hospital where ether anesthesia was publicly demonstrated in 1846. Morton administered ether there during the demonstration that made surgical anesthesia famous.
Diethyl ether: A volatile, highly flammable organic solvent that was used as an inhaled general anesthetic. Morton administered ether vapor to induce unconsciousness before surgery.
John Collins Warren: An American surgeon who operated on a patient anesthetized with ether at Massachusetts General Hospital in 1846. Warren performed the operation during Morton's celebrated demonstration.
History of anesthesia: The development of methods and drugs that prevent pain and awareness during medical procedures. Morton's demonstration became a landmark in the transition to anesthesia-enabled surgery.
Crawford Long: An American physician who used ether for surgery in 1842 but published his results only in 1849. Long's earlier operations complicated Morton's claim to priority.
General anesthesia: A medically induced state of unconsciousness, loss of sensation, and reduced responsiveness used during procedures. Morton's method was an early form of general anesthesia.
William Edward Gaskell: A Boston printer who received ether from Morton and prepared the inhaler used in the 1846 demonstration. Gaskell helped produce the apparatus through which the patient inhaled ether.
Surgical anesthesia: The use of anesthesia to make surgical procedures tolerable and controllable. Morton's public success helped establish anesthesia as part of surgical practice.
Horace Wells: An American dentist who explored nitrous oxide anesthesia and attempted a public demonstration in 1845. Wells's work with dental anesthesia preceded Morton's ether demonstration.
Inhalational anesthetic: A drug delivered through the lungs to produce or maintain anesthesia. Ether worked by entering the body as vapor through the patient's breathing.

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