Dropper bottle for chloroform, London, England, 1870-1900

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Dropper bottle for chloroform, London, England, 1870-1900. Science Museum, London. Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0). Source: Wellcome Collection.

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Chloroform was used as an anaesthetic to stop the patient feeling pain during surgery. It was administered by inhalation – a few drops were put on a cloth covering the patient’s nose. Chloroform replaced ether as the favoured anaesthetic (ether caused irritation to the lungs and vomiting). Chloroform was both quicker and easier to use as it did not need to be heated. In 1847, James Young Simpson (1811-1870) became the first surgeon to use chloroform as an anaesthetic during childbirth. maker: S Maw, Son & Thompson Place made: London, Greater London, England, United Kingdom

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