THE LANCET. A Journal of British and Foreign Medical and Chemical Science, Criticism, Literature and News. In Two Volumes Annually.

London, printed for the editor and published by George Churchill, 1847.. FIRST EDITION OF THE FIRST ACCOUNT OF ETHER ANAESTHESIA PUBLISHED IN EUROPE. 2 volumes for 1847, 4to, approximately 280 x 195 mm, 11 x 7½ inches, illustrations and diagrams in the text, pages: (2), 702; (2), 698, both volumes with index at rear, bound in original publisher's dark green diamond grain blind stamped cloth, gilt lettered spine. Spines very slightly faded, gilt bright, very slight rubbing to upper cover of Volume 2, armorial bookplate on front pastedown, endpapers and title pages slightly foxed, occasional small red ink stamp of the Lancet Newspaper to lower corners, closed tear to lower margin of page 457 in Volume 1, affecting footnote, neatly repaired, no loss of legibility, occasional very light browning, pale foxing and creasing. A very good set in the publisher's original cloth. Volume I contains the first account published in Europe of anaesthesia produced by the inhalation of ether used to perform surgical operations and dentistry in Boston, U.S. This discovery had first been mentioned briefly in the London Medical Gazette for December 18th 1846 and a week later in the Lancet for December 26th 1846. The paper read to 2 scientific societies on the subject by H. J Bigelow, a surgeon at Massachusetts General Hospital, in November 1846 is reproduced here in full on pages 5-8 followed by letters confirming the use by Robert Liston of this method of anaesthesia. Editorial comment on the paper appears on pages 16-17. Many references to this important discovery for painless surgery and dentistry appear throughout the volume with an illustration of an Ether Inhaler on page 77. Volume 2 contains numerous papers, correspondence and references to ether anaesthesia by physicians including Snow, Liston and Marcy. Osler, page 1355; Garrison and Morton, 5651. MORE IMAGES ATTACHED TO THIS LISTING, ALL ZOOMABLE. FURTHER IMAGES ON REQUEST. POSTAGE AT COST. A heavy set, which may require extra postage.