Dr. Crawford W. Long and Anesthesia for Surgery

Dr. Crawford W. Long and Anesthesia for Surgery is a Georgia historical marker in Jackson County, dedicated 2018.

Located by the Crawford Long Museum.

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On March 30, 1842, Dr. Crawford W. Long performed what is considered the first surgery using anesthesia at his medical office once located at this site. Using sulfuric ether, Long removed a cyst from the neck of James Venable before three witnesses. Venable reported feeling no pain during the procedure. With the proven ability to block pain, the use of sulfuric ether as an anesthetic increased the number of surgeries performed worldwide. Although modern anesthetics with fewer side effects have replaced sulfuric ether in the United States, Dr. Long's discovery helped shape modern medicine by allowing for more complex surgical procedures. March 30 is now acknowledged as National Doctors' Day in recognition of Dr. Long's first use of anesthesia.

TodayHistorical map

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David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries

Historical maps covering this location

1831 · Georgia. (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
1838 · Georgia (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
1842 · Georgia. (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
1845 · Georgia (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
1891 · Gainesville, Georgia (USGS Historical Topographic Map Collection)

Georgia, 1842, covering the location of Dr. Crawford W. Long and Anesthesia for Surgery, with a pin at the marker's coordinates — Georgia, 1842, covering this location. David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries. The pin is ours, placed from the marker's coordinates.

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This historical marker is part of the Georgia Historical Marker Program and was erected by the Georgia Historical Society. Marker texts and locations come from the Society's own marker database.

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