A tale of two cities

“Anaesthesia was invented to make surgery possible, not easy…”

Anonymous

A friend and colleague recently posted on her socials, about the first general anaesthetic given in Australia. Of course I had to find out more. It turns out that the issue is complex, controversial, and best of all disputed. Like early convict settlements, it involved New South Wales and Tasmania at about the same time. During June 1847 both Sydney dentist John Belisario and Launceston physician William Pugh, independently built ether inhalers and performed procedures under general anaesthesia. Tooth extraction and jaw tumour removal respectively. The exact dates are uncertain and hence the confusion. It is interesting how common it was for the pioneering use of anaesthesia to be for dental, jaw or neck surgeries, awkwardly close the fledgling gas masks. I think there is a logic to this. In the 1840s, the brain, chest and abdomen were no go zones for any surgeons. Operations on the limbs were common, but a couple of strong assistants could hold an arm or leg still for a few minutes. Many head and neck disorders were symptomatic, visible, accessible and correctable, but the head of a struggling patient is hard to control. #thanksmargie #letsmakelemonade