How does surgery with anaesthesia today compare to surgery without it? And how did we discover that breathing in gas could relieve the pain of an amputation? In the mid 19th century, scientists were discovering new gases, and new ways to experiment with them, but the origins of anaesthesia don't lie in a science lab or a hospital, but in recreational drug use and dentists and doctors getting high on their own supply. 

Featuring:

Dr Warren Zapol MD, Reginald Jenney Professor of Anaesthesia at Harvard Medical School, and Former Chief of Anaesthesia at Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston.

Lara Stubbs as the voice of Frances ‘Fanny’ Burney

News clip courtesy of CTV News, Canada

Music by Nicola Chang

Artwork by Matthew Johnston

Written, recorded and edited by Dr Matthew Heron

Executive Producer Joel Myers

www.etherorpod.com