ETHER ANALGESIA DURING MAJOR SURGERY

Abstract

Analgesia produced with ether (diethyl ether) was first described by John Snow in 1847.¹ Snow observed that an analgesic state existed after emergence from deeper degrees of etherization, but, in the ensuing years, it was not deemed feasible to use the analgesic state for surgical procedures. It was not until the 20th century that Gwathmey repopularized analgesia, using rectal ether in oil.² Championing this school of thought, Gwathmey and Karsnar reported the use of analgesia for operations of short duration and for dressing wounds during World War I.³ Surgeons of Gwathmey's day sent him many reports of patients who, under the effects of ether analgesia, answered questions, suffered no pain, and had no memory for the entire event. Firmly convinced that the analgesic state was most physiological, Gwathmey introduced synergistic analgesia in 1921, using a combination of ether in oil rectally and morphine and magnesium sulfate parenterally.