One public surgery in 1846 ended the era of operating on wide-awake patients

On 16 October 1846, dentist William T. G. Morton administered ether to patient Edward Gilbert Abbott before an audience at Massachusetts General Hospital, and surgeon John Collins Warren removed a neck tumor painlessly. News of the demonstration spread within weeks, and surgical anesthesia became standard practice almost overnight.

— William T. G. Morton (demonstrator); Massachusetts General Hospital historical records, Ether Dome — Massachusetts General Hospital, 16 October 1846