To surgeons and physicians. Broadsheet.
Publisher Information: Boston: 1846.
Morton, William T. G. (1819-68). To surgeons and physicians. Single-sheet advertising circular. Boston, [November 1846]. Faint foxing but fine.
Very Rare First Printing of the First Published Advertisement for Ether Anesthesia. “The first printed document on anesthesia issued and signed by Morton was a single-page folded sheet addressed ‘To Surgeons and Physicians’ stating that the ‘Subscriber’ is prepared to furnish ‘a person fully competent to administer his compounds” (Fulton & Stanton, p. 40). Morton, as is well known, gave the first public demonstration of ether anesthesia on October 16, 1846, during a surgical operation performed by John C. Warren at Massachusetts General Hospital. Seeking to profit from this experience, “one of his first actions [afterwards] was to have engraved a small notice or circular that offered the administration of ether by one of his trained operators (thus, keeping its use under his immediate control” (Wolfe, Tarnished Idol, p. 103). Fulton & Stanton, Centennial of Surgical Anesthesia, IV.6.
Book Id: 45049Price: $5,000.00