The Chloroformist

by Christine Ball

The historical biography of Joseph Clover and the invention of anaesthesia

Operating with bare hands, dressed in his street clothes, he had taken those first steps that every training surgeon must take-gripping the handle of a scalpel and making the first, irrevocable cut into live human flesh. For the surgeon training in the early 1840s, these first surgical milestones were performed on a person who would recoil in terror and horror, flinch, pull away, shake-and scream and scream and scream.
Until 1846, surgery was performed without anaesthesia; extraordinary operations, carried out on conscious, terrified patients. Surgeons of that era were bold and courageous and saved many lives. But anaesthesia changed everything. With an unconscious patient, the surgeon could take his time. Surgery became slower, more careful and more delicate. And as anaesthesia removed the pain of surgery, the medical world gave more attention to surgical infection, heralding in the use of antiseptics and eventually aseptic surgery. By 1881, the operating theatre was unrecognisable- everything had changed.
Much has been written about surgery in the nineteenth century, but little has been said about the development of the relationship between surgeon and anaesthetist. For anaesthesia to mature and allow further advances in surgery, a professional relationship had to develop between surgeons and anaesthetists.
Joseph Clover arguably did more than any other anaesthetist to develop that relationship.
In The Chloroformist, Christine Ball tells the captivating story of an innovative, hard-working and deeply humane pioneer of modern patient care.

Genres: Nonfiction, Science

322 pages, Paperback

Published August 3, 2021

Reviews

[Kerry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely adored the last chapter. Great blend of all the history, but also how it related to today. Amazing to realised the device Clover developed in the 1870s is essentially the same as smart, modern anaesthetic machines.

Was put under for a procedure recently, so could relate the discussion here to my 21st century experience.

[Penny · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am not a prolific reader of historical biographies, but I felt that this book gave me a real sense of who Joseph Clover was and what his life would have been like in England in the mid 1800s. I particularly found that I got a sense of how his work and medicine in general was evolving amongst the historical events of the times. My favourite chapter was the last one where Chris brought the historical figures into her own world as an anaesthetist at a large Melbourne hospital. Well done and thank you for writing the book in a way that was so readable for lay people like me.

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm going to preface my thoughts about Christine Ball's fascinating story of The Chloroformist who brought anaesthesia to the operating table with a confession: I am brave about snakes, spiders and the dentist, but although everybody else has their cataracts done with a local anaesthetic, I didn't.  I got myself in such a state about the mere idea of being conscious while they messed about with my eyes, that they had to knock me out properly to do it.  I felt even more ashamed of myself when I read in the first chapter, the list of procedures performed without anaesthetic during the chloroformist's apprenticeship :

For the rest of the summer, young Joseph Clover followed Dr Lubbock around Norfolk.  Together, they excised skin tumours, opened abscesses, divided contracted tendons, tapped hydrocoeles, amputated toes and removed a cataract.  All these procedures were performed on conscious, terrified patients who were held tightly by friends or relatives, and who struggled to control their desire to flee from the surgeon's knife and the agonising pain. (p.7)

[...]

Operating with bare hands, dressed in his street clothes, he had taken those first steps that every training surgeon must take — gripping the handle of a scalpel and making the first, irrevocable cut into live human flesh. For the surgeon training in the early 1840s, these first surgical milestones were performed on a person who would recoil in terror and horror, flinch, pull away, shake — and scream and scream and scream. (p.13)

According to the MUP website, the author of The Chloroformist, Christine Ball is an anaesthetist at the Alfred Hospital in Melbourne, who co-manages a Master of Medicine (Perioperative) at Monash University, and is the 2020–2024 Wood Library-Museum Laureate of the History of Anaesthesiology. She has been an honorary curator at the Geoffrey Kaye Museum of Anaesthetic History for thirty years — where the Casebook of Joseph Clover (1825-1882), an English surgeon and pioneer of anaesthesia, is held.

Joseph Clover (1825-1882) was the inventor of apparatus to deliver a controlled quantity of anaesthetics including ether and chloroform, and he was much in demand because by 1871 he had administered anaesthetics 13,000 times without a fatality.  This was an extraordinary achievement, and you only need to look at the photo on the front cover of the book to see why.  If —as it was in the early days of his career— chloroform delivered drop by drop on a piece of cloth was risky, the invention of a mask did not solve the problem of delivering the anaesthetic safely and consistently when surgery took place in the mouth or nose. And all that Clover could do to monitor the patient's heartbeat was to keep his hand on the pulse.

To read the rest of my review please visit https://anzlitlovers.com/2021/09/03/t...

[Sophia Grobler · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read for any person who loves a good story. Set in Victorian times, it tells the true story of a compassionate man (Joseph Clover) who embraced scientific method, collaborated with colleagues and responded to the needs of patients and the problems of the time. This book tells us what life was like for patients as well as health professionals. It was a time of major discovery and advances put in the context of the major events - the Crimean War, the cholera outbreaks, the American Civil war, the Napoleonic wars and the regeneration of Paris with the French finding their national identity and its subsequent influence on medicine. I loved the intertwined stories of how medical education, governance, indemnity, research, collaboration and animal rights developed during that time too. Really well researched and really well written. Definitely recommend.

[Giovanna Walker · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm a layperson (ie not in the medical profession) so a small confession, I didn't read all the detail (about the committees etc) I was interested in the history of operations. And oh my. Getting operated on with bare hands, street clothes - EEEK! That was the 1840's. Gosh it was SO interesting (and horrifying!) imagine being a surgeon and operating on a patient AWAKE!? This book took me there. And gosh, SO thankful to all those patients who underwent procedures in those early days. Glad to say that Ball acknowledges them where she can (not all names were given) - women too.
It'll make you squirm, but wow, how far we've come.
And with the pandemic, I can appreciate the hard work in hospitals even more. Thank you to all the medical staff.

[DB · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a really enjoyable read. As someone now entering into medical school, I have an interest in medicine but am yet to understand all the complexities of anesthesia. But this was not an an issue as the author of this book tells the stories of even the most complex devices and procedures through digestible vignettes. The book was interesting and engaging and managed to beautifully meld the history of the time, the advent of anesthesia, and the personal growth of one man - Joseph Clover - who changed medicine forever. I would highly recommend this book for anyone with an interest in history and medicine.

[Alayne · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fairly heavy textbook style of book, with lots of end notes for each chapter, but I found it very interesting. The ways in which medicine progressed during the adult life of Joseph Clover were just phenomenal (he was a contemporary of Lister and Pasteur for a start), and the inventions he himself made to make anaesthesia effective and safe were wonderful and still being used today albeit with the modern modifications like computer power. If you are interested in the developments in medicine, you will enjoy this book.

[Jasmine · Rating 5 out of 5]

A thoroughly fascinating read, clearly well researched.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is not for the faint hearted nor is it one you should read while eating.
However, so glad I live in modern times with advanced medicine.

[Jemina Kolber · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the narrative driven parts over the technical descriptions of apparatus. Very well researched!