New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1911-06-18
USE OF CHLOR0FORN
First Used as An@sthetic BY 3.
J. Y. Simpson.

Sir James Young Simpson. the s,,.
% the anasthotic properties of cb,o-.,>
was born on June Z. 1871 At Ba,by.s.
L.inlithsowshire, the Youngest Of N, :.
sons Of tho village baker. and tha
Of THE Edinburgh Medical Journsp,
converted their issue for June into
tenary number In honor OF tho ay...
contains personal articles BY m..
Blantyre Simpson. the daughter. ana
Sir Alexander Simpson. the neph.,
the professional SUCCESSOR Of the yrss, -
stefan. with others by DR. Anasrsa,
Halliday Groom. Mr.. Barbour. DR.
and Dr. Ballantyne on various asn.c,.
mis- scientific work; and It Is copiously IN,
trated from photographs OF portraits. bv,..
monuments and buildings. the latter .
Guiding the cottage IN Bathgats IN us,.
he was born.
The great turning point ~ siro.,,.
career was, Of course, the employrns,. !.
chloroform. and the circumstances =.
nected with the discover o, It's proo.-.
are well told by Sir Alexander. sulub-.-
ether had been first used as an an-s,,,-
I
mined, as soon as a suitable case preer,.
itself 20 test it's efficacy In suhdtiirx :,
pains OF childbirth. he first used n q.
this purpose on January e. i3s7. ana =.
though Il more than answered his exp.c,.
tons ne thought that some still 5...
agent Tor tito suppression % seussr,.
might possibly be found. and dcterr.,.
70 experiment upon himself with van-,
Of volatile liquids supplied 70 hin BY ch.u.
lists. After many Disappointment III
was made OF the tcrchlorils of for--y,
which had been suggested by Dr. WsY.
Of Liverpool. but had been ~ Grst reezs,
as TOO heavy.
on the night Of November :. lsi7. .,
Simpson and MS two assistants. Dg Ges,.
| Keith ana DR. Matthews Duncan. SAT a,
| table. each Of them provided with ulr.sls
, into which a portion ~ tho rerchloride "A,
been poured and from which they irha..
AZ thev couversed Taev we're all az-..s
/ bly, surprised By the plesSurabie sensaro,
arising from the new agent and their r,r
| consciousness was that ~ Hncing tas-
selves on the floor. more or less under d.
! table al which they RAD beer sitting. bu
/ other respects uninjured. Tie inhalzr-
! vas repeated many times that night, q,
/ the new drug was administered 70 simpson
niece. Miss Alice Petrie. under ne sups
vision OF the three doctors who had ths-
selves been the first subjects. The chsu.z
name was soon abandoned for the sinps
"cbloroforrr." under which -le preparar-
becane universally known and used q,
one OF the greatest discoveries ~ rnode-
| times was practically complete.
or tie suffering which ch0ro'orm a
prevented % the operations which b -
rendered possible. and NJ rho lives whict
! ras saved II would now oe sInerfuol p
| speak. but the journal Contains Sr
curious evidence ~ tne opposition Thoi %
emplovment In Childbirth AZ nrsr e1r's'
and which was supposed. oy many q n'7
Who took part in il. 90 be- ~ 'reliyo1
/ character. II was not until queen Fiei'rs
haj consulted simpson on the subject ar
rad herself taken chloroforIn curing CO..
| hnement. that the c.smor of d secuon e
| the clergy began 20 give way before .
TEACHINGS Of sxperience. Simpsons c'r
bs-ive spirit plunged him info me fhic''
~ the FRAY. ard his varied kno~.eds' 70
dersd him as much az home with rs tas
logical ss with its psychological aspecu
50 long as anssthesis SIS ire handnlaa {
/ surgery simpson s. fame cannot lie oli p
experiments with snsstherics formed Gil
= small part Of his manifold profsssl'''
ana other activities. Fe WIS e'senuai'
man Of genius in the true sense Of =
r.ord a man whose mind threw OUT ~
liant flashes OF side light upon many S'
tscts. and whose munitions IN many ea''
only Just missed being great o.''O''''
As n nhvsician ne was ~ the highesl w
r;7.,rr tirnselS without stint ~ ne a7iao.
wo-i[ ~ his calling. and on m, aes sl. /.
$50 leaving behind hin 1sserVs,N =
loved and honored name LONDON -n---.