Ether Day

<p><strong>A fascinating and entertaining look at the men behind the first surgical use of anesthesia--and the price they paid for their breakthrough.</strong></p><p><strong>On Friday October 16 1846 only one operation was scheduled at Massachusetts General Hospital....</strong></p><p>That day in Boston the operation was the routine removal of a growth from a man's neck. But one thing would not be routine: instead of using pulleys hooks and belts to subdue a patient writhing in pain this crucial operation would be the first performed under a general anesthetic. No one knew whether the secret concoction would work. Some even feared it might kill the patient.</p><p>This engrossing book chronicles what happened that day and during its dramatic aftermath. In a vivid history that is stranger than fiction <em>Ether Day</em> tells the story of the three men who converged to invent the first anesthesia--and the war of ego and greed that soon sent all three men spiraling wildly out of control.</p>