Joint Meeting Program: 1946

William T. G. Morton (1819-1868) gave the first successful, public demonstration of modern surgical anesthesia on October 16, 1846. This took place at Massachusetts General Hospital, in Boston. The centennial of this achievement was commemorated nationwide. It was celebrated by a joint meeting of the American Society of Anesthesiologists and the New England Society of Anesthesiologists, in Boston, October 15-17, 1946. The program cover depicts a Morton ether inhaler with a wooden spigot.

The copy of the program shown here is part of the centennial scrapbook that was compiled by ASA member Morris J. Nicholson, M.D. (1910-2011).  He donated his scrapbook to the Wood Library-Museum of Anesthesiology in honor of the 150th anniversary of Morton's famous demonstration.