Introduction Of Ether Fear of surgery and the pain associated with the surgeon’s knife has long been an issue for patients. True progress in the world of pain management occurred in the 19th century when, on this date in 1846, U.S. dentist Dr. William T.G. Morton (1819-1868) extracted a tooth from patient Eben H. Frost using ether anesthesia. Dr. Morton wasn’t the first to use ether during surgery, but he was the first to publicly demonstrate and document its use. Because of ether's side effects and flammability, current health practitioners largely prefer to use other general anesthetics.
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