Chloroform first used as an anaesthetic in childbirth

Historical Context Note

Litencyc Editors (Independent Scholar - Europe)
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Awareness of anaesthesia was growing from around 1800, the first compound to be used being nitrous oxide, shortly followed by ether. First manufactured in 1831, chloroform (trichlormethane) was used by Sir James Simpson in Edinburgh in 1847 to alleviate pain in chidlbirth. Its use became rapidly accepted and it was given to Queen Victoria in 1853 during the birth of Prince Leopold, her eighth child.

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Citation: Editors, Litencyc. "Chloroform first used as an anaesthetic in childbirth". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 29 February 2008 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/stopics.php?rec=true&UID=5535, accessed 28 March 2024.]

5535 Chloroform first used as an anaesthetic in childbirth 2 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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