Dropper bottle for chloroform, London, England, 1870-1900

Graduated dropper bottle for chloroform (cased), made by S. Maw Son and Thompson, English, 1870-1900

Chloroform was used as an anaesthetic to stop the patient feeling pain during surgery. It was administered by inhalation – a few drops were put on a cloth covering the patient’s nose. Chloroform replaced ether as the favoured anaesthetic (ether caused irritation to the lungs and vomiting). Chloroform was both quicker and easier to use as it did not need to be heated. In 1847, James Young Simpson (1811-1870) became the first surgeon to use chloroform as an anaesthetic during childbirth.