This article is part of the series "A Moment in History" where we honor those who have contributed to the growth of medical knowledge in the areas of anatomy, medicine, surgery, and medical research.
Ether Dome Skylight
During one of many trips this year, I found myself with a free day in Boston, Massachusetts. Had a recommendation to try and visit the Ether Dome, which I did, and it was an interesting, although short, experience.
The Ether Dome is the name given by the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) to the first operating room of the MGH and it is located under the dome at the top of the Bullfinch Building, named after its architect Charles Bullfinch (who later became one of the architects for the USA Capitol). The reason for the location of the operating room is that there is a large skylight that provided the light for the operations.
The operating room was in service between 1821 and 1867 and over 8,000 operations were performed here. It was later used as a storage are, a nurse’s dormitory, a dining room, and today as a teaching auditorium. It still has the arrangement of a semicircular staired pavilion, as in the early days of the operating room. The Ether Dome was designated a National Historic Site in 1965.
The reason for the name Ether Dome is that in this location, on October 16, 1846, anesthesia was used successfully for the first time. The surgeon was John C. Warren, one of the MGH’s founders. The anesthesiologist was William T. G. Morton, a dentist. The patient was Gilbert Abbott. The operation was the excision of a neck tumor. Upon waking up, the patient said that he had felt no pain.
This event was so revolutionary that painting and images have bee created all over to remember the occasion. One of most creative was the work done for a mural called “Ether Day, 1846” The artists were Warren and Lucia Prosperi, who in 2000-2001 took photographs of surgeons and administrators at MGH in period clothing in different poses to recreate the event of the first use of anesthesia. An oil painting of the mural can be seen at the Ether Dome. If you are interested in visiting the MGH, I recommend planning your visit with the Paul S. Russel Museum of Medical History and Innovation. The museum itself is worth visiting. If you want, the Russel Museum has a virtual tour of the Ether Dome and the Hospital, click here.
Since the Ether Dome is an active teaching auditorium, it is not always available for visitors, to it is good to call ahead, I did not, and was lucky to enter the auditorium prior to a welcome meeting for first year medical students. What an historical location to begin your medical career!
The Ether Dome houses a plaster cast of a Roman statue, the Apollo Belvedere, an Egyptian mummy, and an old human skeleton used for teaching.
A large plaque on the wall reads: ” On October 16, 1846 in this room, then the operating theatre of the Hospital, was given the first public demonstration of Anæsthesia to the extent of producing insensibility to pain during a serious surgical operation. Sulphuric ether was administered by William Thomas Green Morton, a Boston dentist. The patient was Gilbert Abbott. The operation was the removal of a tumor under the jaw. The surgeon was John Collins Warren.
The patient declared that he had felt no pain during the operation and was discharged well, December 7. Knowledge of this discovery spread from this room throughout the civilized world and a new era for surgery began.”
Here is a photograph of a later operation in 1847 where Morton and Warren can be seen.
I have written several articles about this topic, the event, and its protagonists. Here are some of the links:
- Anesthesia
- The first use of anesthesia in surgery
- William T.G. Morton
- Oliver W. Holmes Sr. (who coined the term “anesthesia”)
Note: Ether Dome Skylight image. Ravi Poorun [oddityinabox] CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Public Domain