MUSEUM BLOG
Explore our blog to learn about pieces from Canada’s largest collection of medical artifacts, discover the lesser-known history of health care, or hear about all of the exciting developments at the Canadian Museum of Health Care.
The Story of Dr. Crawford Long and the Ether Controversy
Born in 1815, Dr. Crawford Long studied medicine and surgery under renowned scholars and had the opportunity to participate in several surgeries. Surgery was a different experience in the early nineteenth century because patients were not sedated and were in excruciating pain throughout the procedure.
Statuette of Hua Tuo
Approximately 1600 years before William T. G. Morton, Chinese physician Hua Tuo invented an anaesthetic that he called mafeisan and applied this substance to patients undergoing abdominal surgery.