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Podcast: Today In History with The Retrospectors
Episode: Dr Long's Ethereal Adventures
Description: Pain-free surgery eluded physicians for centuries, but 26-year-old Crawford Williamson Long successfully removed a tumour from the neck of patient James Venable on 30th March, 1842 - whilst Venable was anaesthetised with ether.Dr Long had come to appreciate the ‘exhilarating effects’ of ether as a result of attending drug-fuelled parties at medical school - known in his coterie as ‘ether frolics’ - and identifying that, whilst high on ether, he had bruised his body, yet not felt the impact.In this episode, Arion, Rebecca and Olly explain how Dr Long experimented on his friends...