Anesthesia
During the Civil War, there were around 10,000 injuries that resulted in amputations. These were extremely painful operations and it was hard for the surgeon to keep the patient on the table. When ether and chloroform were introduced, they were effective but still had flaws. Ether was extremely flammable while chloroform had 25% fatality rate
due to the overdoses that doctors would give. One thing that they had in common was that they both were expensive. Since both were made in the North during the Civil War, the South had hard time obtaining substantial amounts. This lead to the invention of the inhaler. First used on General Sickler, the surgeon would soak horse hair or cotton in chloroform and hold it over the patient's nose and mouth. It only needed 1/8 of an oz. compared to the normal 2 oz. of chloroform.
due to the overdoses that doctors would give. One thing that they had in common was that they both were expensive. Since both were made in the North during the Civil War, the South had hard time obtaining substantial amounts. This lead to the invention of the inhaler. First used on General Sickler, the surgeon would soak horse hair or cotton in chloroform and hold it over the patient's nose and mouth. It only needed 1/8 of an oz. compared to the normal 2 oz. of chloroform.
Anesthesia Inhaler