THE LANCET. A Journal of British and Foreign Medical and Chemical Science, Criticism, Literature and News. In Two Volumes Annually. WAKLEY, Thomas, Surgeon (Editor). tick

FIRST EDITION OF THE FIRST ACCOUNT OF ETHER ANAESTHESIA PUBLISHED IN EUROPE. VOLUME 1 0NLY for year 1847. 4to, approximately 280 x 195 mm, 11 x 7½ inches, illustrations and diagrams in the text, pages: [2], 702 with index at rear, bound in original publisher's dark green diamond grain blind stamped cloth, gilt lettered spine. Spine very slightly faded, gilt bright, small bookplate on front pastedown, endpapers and title page slightly foxed, occasional small red ink stamp of the Lancet Newspaper to lower corners, closed tear to lower margin of page 457, affecting footnote, neatly repaired, no loss of legibility, occasional very light browning, pale foxing and creasing. A very good copy in the publisher's original cloth. Volume I contains the first account published in Europe of anaesthesia produced by the inhalation of ether used to perform surgical operations and dentistry in Boston, U.S. This discovery had first been mentioned briefly in the London Medical Gazette for December 18th 1846 and a week later in the Lancet for December 26th 1846. The paper on the subject read to 2 scientific societies by H. J Bigelow, a surgeon at Massachusetts General Hospital, in November 1846, is reproduced here in full on pages 5-8. Editorial comment on the paper appears on pages 16-17. Many references to this important discovery for painless surgery and dentistry appear throughout the volume with an illustration of an Ether Inhaler on page 77. See: Sir William Osler, Bibliotheca Osleriana, Oxford edition, and the same reference in the McGill-Queen's University Press edition, page136, No. 1355; Garrison and Morton, 5651. MORE IMAGES ATTACHED TO THIS LISTING, ALL ZOOMABLE. FURTHER IMAGES ON REQUEST. POSTAGE AT COST. A heavy set, which may require extra postage.