For centuries, patients remained awake during operations, enduring procedures that were often as frightening as the conditions they were meant to treat.
Before the advent of anesthesia in the nineteenth century, surgeons relied on speed to minimize suffering. Although substances such as alcohol, opium, and various herbal preparations were used to dull pain, none could reliably prevent it. As a result, surgical procedures were frequently traumatic experiences for both patients and physicians.1,2
Years later a discovery emerged that would make painless surgery possible and transform medicine forever. Yet the story of anesthesia is not simply one of scientific triumph. It is also a story of rivalry, ambition, disappointment, and a bitter battle over recognition.
More than 175 years later, historians still debate a surprisingly simple question: Who really discovered anesthesia?
The first chapter of the story begins far from the famous hospitals of Boston.
In March 1842, a 26-year-old physician named Crawford Williamson Long performed a small operation in Jefferson, Georgia. His patient, James Venable, had a tumor on his neck. Before beginning the procedure, Long administered sulphuric ether, a substance already known for its intoxicating effects at social gatherings sometimes called “ether frolics.” 3
When the operation was over, Venable reportedly felt little pain.
Long continued using ether in surgical procedures over the following years and documented successful cases. By modern timelines, this appears to be the earliest recorded use of ether to produce surgical anesthesia.3
Yet almost nobody knew about it.
Unlike physicians working in major cities, Long practiced in a rural community with limited professional connections. He did not immediately publish his findings, nor did he present them before influential medical audiences. While he quietly continued his work, the world remained unaware of what he had achieved.3
Two years later, another man was searching for a way to eliminate pain.
Horace Wells, a Connecticut dentist, attended a public demonstration of nitrous oxide in December 1844. During the event, a participant injured himself but appeared unaware of the pain while under the influence of the gas. Wells immediately sensed that this observation might have medical value.4
The following day, Wells decided to test the idea personally.
After inhaling nitrous oxide, he underwent a tooth extraction performed by a colleague. The procedure caused little discomfort, convincing Wells that inhaled gases might provide a solution to one of medicine’s oldest problems.4
Wells arranged a public demonstration before physicians in Boston in January 1845. Unfortunately, things did not go as planned. The patient cried out during the procedure, and the audience quickly dismissed the experiment as a failure. Whether the patient actually experienced significant pain remains disputed, but the damage to Wells's reputation was immediate.4
Among those familiar with Wells's work was another dentist, William Thomas Green Morton.
Morton remained convinced that pain-free surgery was possible. Determined to find a more effective agent, he experimented with ether and sought advice from Boston physician and chemist Charles Thomas Jackson.1
On October 16, 1846, William T. G. Morton administered ether anesthesia during a surgical procedure at Massachusetts General Hospital. The operation, performed by surgeon John Collins Warren, involved the removal of a neck tumor and was completed with minimal pain reported by the patient. This successful demonstration provided compelling evidence that surgery could be performed without the intense suffering traditionally associated with operative procedures.
Unlike earlier attempts, this demonstration was met with confidence rather than skepticism. The physicians in attendance observed the procedure firsthand, and its significance was quickly recognized. According to BBC, the successful use of ether spread rapidly across the United States and Europe, leading to its widespread adoption in surgical practice within a remarkably short period.
The day became known as Ether Day, and Morton was celebrated as the man who had conquered surgical pain.
Soon after Ether Day, Charles Jackson stepped forward with a claim of his own.
Jackson argued that Morton had not discovered ether anesthesia independently. According to him, he had explained ether's anesthetic properties to Morton and encouraged its use. Without his scientific guidance, Jackson maintained, the famous demonstration would never have happened.5
Morton firmly contested Jackson's claim, and the disagreement quickly evolved into one of the most contentious priority disputes in medical history. Both men sought to establish their role in the breakthrough through publications, petitions, and appeals to scientific institutions, sparking a conflict that became known as the Ether War.5
As the debate intensified, assigning credit to a single individual became increasingly challenging. Each of the four claimants could point to a distinct contribution that supported his case.
Long appears to have performed surgery under ether anesthesia as early as 1842, four years before Morton's famous demonstration.3
Wells recognized that inhaled gases could eliminate pain and successfully used nitrous oxide before either Morton or Jackson became widely associated with anesthesia.4
Morton's demonstration transformed anesthesia from an isolated observation into an accepted medical practice. Without widespread adoption, discovery alone might have remained historically insignificant.1
Jackson maintained that the underlying scientific knowledge originated with him and that Morton merely applied what he had already understood.5
Perhaps the most tragic element of this story is that the individuals at its center rarely enjoyed the recognition they sought. Wells's career never recovered from the setbacks he experienced during his efforts to promote anesthesia. Morton spent years pursuing acknowledgment and compensation for his work, while Jackson remained locked in disputes over priority that took a heavy personal toll. Long, although increasingly honored in later years, continued to feel that history had overlooked his role in the discovery.
Their achievement transformed medicine, yet their lives were marked by an enduring battle over who deserved the credit.
More than a century and a half later, there is still no universally accepted answer to this question. Much of the disagreement stems from the fact that each claimant contributed to a different stage in the development of anesthesia.
Those who prioritize the earliest documented use of ether in surgery often point to Crawford Long. Supporters of Horace Wells emphasize his recognition of the anesthetic potential of inhaled gases and his early experiments with nitrous oxide. William Morton's advocates highlight his successful public demonstration, which led to the rapid acceptance of anesthesia in medical practice. Meanwhile, Charles Jackson's supporters argue that his scientific knowledge played an important role in the breakthrough.
Together, their contributions laid the foundation for one of the most significant advances in the history of medicine.
References
1. Royal College of Anaesthetists. "History of Anaesthesia." Accessed June 10, 2026.
2. Britannica. "Anesthetics Through History." Encyclopaedia Britannica. Accessed June 10, 2026.
3. Taylor, Frances Long. Crawford W. Long and the Discovery of Ether Anesthesia. New York: Paul B. Hoeber, 1928.
4. Jacobsohn, Peter H., ed. 7th International Dental Congress on Modern Pain Control: Selected Papers, Trier, Germany, September 8–11, 1994. Anesthesia Progress 42, no. 3–4 (1995): 73–130. PMID: 8967633. PMCID: PMC2148901.
5. Gould, A. B. “Charles T. Jackson’s Claim to the Discovery of Etherization.” In Anaesthesia, edited by J. Rupreht, M. J. van Lieburg, J. A. Lee, and W. Erdmann. Berlin and Heidelberg: Springer, 1985.
MSM
