Episode 1 of 2
Trial of Chloroform in Edinburgh
- When
- 4 November 1847
- Where
- Edinburgh
Simpson and friends tested chloroform obtained from pharmacist William Flockhart on 4 November 1847, claiming discovery of its anaesthetic qualities in humans.
On 4 November 1847, Simpson and his friends decided to try chloroform themselves. Simpson had obtained the substance from local pharmacist William Flockhart of Duncan and Flockhart in Edinburgh. Simpson argued he had discovered the anaesthetic qualities of chloroform in humans, despite earlier animal studies by Glover.
Sources
- James Young Simpson Wikipedia, revision of 2026-09-01
- Chloroform Wikipedia, revision of 2026-10-05
Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.