On this day, December the 27th, in the year of 1845, physician Crawford W. Long gave his wife anesthesia during her childbirth, the first instance of this happening.  

Dr. Long first used anesthesia in surgery to remove a cyst on a friend. But, the use of anesthesia during such procedures was seen as taboo, so the achievement didn’t hit the ground running.

Today, anesthesia is commonly used to aid women in childbirth (Smithsonian).

To read more daily facts and tidbits, see the Barron Perspectives “On this Day Archives” webpage.