Boston dentist, William Morton, demonstrated that ether could induce narcosis, a temporary state of unconsciousness, very useful in surgical procedures. Another substance used for the same purpose was chloroform, an experiment demonstrated by James Young Simpson in November 1847. It has been estimated that during the American Civil War, approximately seven thousand surgical operations were performed on battlefield wounded anesthetized with chloroform, with fewer than 40 deaths due to the use of the anesthetic. In 1853, Queen Victoria gave birth with the aid of chloroform as an anesthetic.
