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Diethyl ether
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=== Anesthesia === [[File:The first use of ether in dental surgery, 1846. Ernest Board. Wellcome V0018140.jpg|thumb|left|The first use of ether in dental surgery, by [[Ernest Board]].]] [[File:Ether monument-Boston.JPG|thumb|250px|left|Panel from [[Ether Monument]] in Boston commemorating Morton's demonstration of ether's anesthetic use.]] [[William T. G. Morton]] participated in a public demonstration of ether anesthesia on October 16, 1846, at the [[Ether Dome]] in [[Boston, Massachusetts]]. Morton had called his ether preparation, with aromatic oils to conceal its smell, "''Letheon''" after the [[Lethe|Lethe River]] (ฮฮฎฮธฮท, meaning "forgetfulness, oblivion").<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YcPvV893aXgC&pg=PA1129|page=1129|title=Inventors and Inventions, Volume 4|year=2008|isbn=978-0-7614-7767-9|first=Marshall|last=Cavendish|publisher=Marshall Cavendish }}</ref> However, [[Crawford Williamson Long]] is now known to have demonstrated its use privately as a [[general anesthetic]] in surgery to officials in Georgia, as early as March 30, 1842, and Long publicly demonstrated ether's use as a surgical anesthetic on six occasions before the Boston demonstration.<ref name=hill>Hill, John W. and Kolb, Doris K. ''Chemistry for Changing Times: 10th Edition''. p. 257. Pearson: Prentice Hall. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey. 2004.</ref><ref name="newgeorgiaencylcopedia">{{cite encyclopedia | url=http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/articles/science-medicine/crawford-long-1815-1878 | title=Crawford Long (1815โ1878) | publisher=University of Georgia Press | encyclopedia=New Georgia Encyclopedia | date=May 14, 2004 | access-date=February 13, 2015 | author=Madden, M. Leslie}}</ref><ref name="southernmedicalassoc">{{cite web | url=http://sma.org/sma-alliance/doctors-day-2/crawford-w-long/ | title=Crawford W. Long | publisher=Southern Medical Association | work=Doctors' Day | access-date=February 13, 2015 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150213210340/http://sma.org/sma-alliance/doctors-day-2/crawford-w-long/ | archive-date=February 13, 2015}}</ref> British doctors were aware of the anesthetic properties of ether as early as 1840 where it was widely prescribed in conjunction with opium.<ref name="Grattan">{{Cite journal |last=Gratian |first=N. |date=1840-11-07 |title=Dr. Grattan on the Treatment of Uterine Haemorrhage |journal=BMJ |language=en |volume=s1-1 |issue=6 |pages=107 |doi=10.1136/bmj.s1-1.6.107 |issn=0959-8138 |pmc=2488546 |pmid=21372908}}</ref> Diethyl ether was preferred by some practitioners over [[chloroform]] as a general anesthetic due to ether's more favorable [[therapeutic index]], that is, a greater difference between an effective dose and a potentially toxic dose.<ref>{{cite journal | author = Calderone, F.A. | journal = Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics | year = 1935 | volume = 55 | issue= 1 | pages = 24โ39 | url = http://jpet.aspetjournals.org/cgi/reprint/55/1/24.pdf | title = Studies on Ether Dosage After Pre-Anesthetic Medication with Narcotics (Barbiturates, Magnesium Sulphate and Morphine)}}</ref> Diethyl ether does not depress the [[myocardium]] but rather it stimulates the sympathetic nervous system leading to hypertension and tachycardia. It is safely used in patients with shock as it preserves the [[Baroreflex|baroreceptor reflex]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://anesthesiageneral.com/ether-effects/|title = Ether effects|date = 31 October 2010}}</ref> Its minimal effect on myocardial depression and respiratory drive, as well as its low cost and high therapeutic index allows it to see continued use in developing countries.<ref>{{cite journal |date=2010-10-31 |title=Ether and its effects in Anesthesia |url=http://anesthesiageneral.com/ether-effects/ |journal=Anesthesia General}}</ref> Diethyl ether could also be mixed with other anesthetic agents such as [[chloroform]] to make [[C.E. mixture]], or chloroform and [[Ethanol|alcohol]] to make [[A.C.E. mixture]]. In the 21st century, ether is rarely used. The use of flammable ether was displaced by nonflammable fluorinated hydrocarbon anesthetics. [[Halothane]] was the first such anesthetic developed and other currently used inhaled anesthetics, such as [[isoflurane]], [[desflurane]], and [[sevoflurane]], are halogenated ethers.<ref name=morgan>Morgan, G. Edward, Jr. et al. (2002). ''Clinical Anesthesiology'' 3rd Ed. New York: McGraw-Hill. p. 3.</ref> Diethyl ether was found to have undesirable side effects, such as post-anesthetic nausea and vomiting. Modern anesthetic agents reduce these side effects.<ref name=hill/> [[File:Ether Dreams.jpg|thumb|left|An illustration depicting ether's effects, 1840sโ1870s]] Prior to 2005, it was on the [[World Health Organization's List of Essential Medicines]] for use as an anesthetic.<ref>{{cite web|title=Essential Medicines WHO Model List (revised April 2003)|location=Geneva, Switzerland|publisher=World Health Organization|website=apps.who.int|date=April 2003|access-date=6 September 2017|url=http://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/10665/68168/1/a80290.pdf|edition=13th}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Essential Medicines WHO Model List (revised March 2005)|location=Geneva, Switzerland|publisher=World Health Organization|website=apps.who.int|date=March 2005|access-date=6 September 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050805200129/http://whqlibdoc.who.int/hq/2005/a87017.pdf|archive-date=5 August 2005|url=http://whqlibdoc.who.int/hq/2005/a87017.pdf|edition=14th}}</ref>
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