loved to experience the first surgical procedure using anesthesia, a hallmark historical event that revolutionized medicine. In 1846, Boston dentist William T.G. Morton used sulfuric ether to anesthetize a patient in need of surgery to remove a vascular tumor from his neck. [WHAT, IF ANYTHING, WOULD HAVE BEEN USED INSTEAD OF ETHER?] Although this discovery failed to work in subsequent surgical procedures, it provided a basis for the modern field of anesthetization. I find such an event worthwhile to experience as it can shed light on why modern medicine uses various ether and nitrous oxide derivatives in patient anesthetization. [BEYOND THE SPECIFIC SCIENCE, WHY DOES THIS INTEREST YOU? THRILL OF DISCOVERY, RISK-TAKING IN BUCKING KNOWN CONVENTIONS, THE ELECTRICITY IN THE ROOM, ETC.]
