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February 1996
Key words: anesthesia history; biography; Crawford W. Long Museum; Crawford Williamson Long; ether, first use as an anesthetic
Eugene J. Murdock, Jr., CRNA, MSN
Augusta. Georgia
Susan B. Deaver, MEd, MHP
Jefferson, Georgia
AANA Journal. February 1996;64(1): 60-64
Life of Crawford W. Long, MD (1815-1878)
Crawford W Long, MD, a physician and pharmacist, was the first to use ether anesthesia for painless surgery. The event took place in Jefferson, Georgia, on March 30, 1842. Anesthesia’s discovery has long been recognized as one of the most important advances in modern medicine. Crawford Williamson Long was born on November 1, 1815, the son of James Long, a successful planter and merchant in Danielsville, Georgia. He entered Franklin College (now the University of Georgia) at the early age of 14 and received a master of arts degree in 1835.
Crawford Long began his study of medicine in Jefferson (which is 20 miles from Athens and 60 miles northeast of Atlanta) with George Grant, MD. Traveling to Lexington, Kentucky, in 1837, he took his first course of lectures at the Medical Department of Transylvania University. He completed his medical studies at the University of Pennsylvania, receiving a degree in 1839. For the next 18 months, the new Dr. Long practiced in New York hospitals until returning to Jefferson in the fall of 1841 where he bought the office of his preceptor, Dr. Grant.
In the 1830s, the social fad of inhaling "laughing gas" became popular. As a medical student, Dr. Long participated in these "frolics" using ether nitrous oxide or sulfuric ether. Dr. Long’s Jefferson office became a popular gathering place for the young men of the area. He gave them sulfuric ether since he had no nitrous oxide. Long noticed that participants under the influence of ether felt no pain even though they suffered cuts and bruises from falling down. This observation manifested itself in a theory that ether could be used in surgical procedures to block the normal response to pain.
On March 30, 1842, the opportunity to test his theory came when James Venable requested Dr. Long to remove a cyst from his neck. Mr. Venable vas given ether on a towel to inhale during the procedure. Afterward, Mr. Venable reported feeling no pain during the operation. The surgery was a success - Crawford W. Long had discovered anesthesia. By the time he read about the public administration of anesthesia for a surgery by William Thomas Green Morton in Boston, Massachusetts, on October 1846, Dr. Long had performed at least six other operations using ether. He had made no secret of his work; all of his surgeries were witnessed and known of by the physicians in the area. Throughout his medical career, Dr. Long continued to use ether anesthesia in his practice for minor and major surgeries, amputations, and childbirth.
Crawford Long took no immediate steps to publicize his discovery, however, preferring to experiment until he was convinced of ether’s anesthetic properties, safety, and universal application. Encouraged by family and colleagues, Long wrote a scholarly article for the Southern Medical and Surgical Journal. "An Account of the First Use of Sulfuric Ether by Inhalation as an Anesthetic in Surgical Operations" was published in December 1849. Acknowledgment of his achievement has been overshadowed by the controversy brought about by the claims of Horace Wells, William Thomas Green Morton, and Charles Jackson, each of whom sought credit for anesthesia’s discovery. Ultimately, the weight of evidence, especially the affidavits secured from former patients and witnesses, has swayed the verdict of history in Dr. Long’s favor.
Dr. Long married Mary Caroline Swain a few months after the landmark operation. They resided in a home next to his office in Jefferson where the first four of their 12 children were born. In 1850, in hopes of acquiring a larger practice, Dr. Long moved his family to Atlanta. Dissatisfied with Atlanta, a year later the Long’s moved to Athens to be closer to family and friends. Dr. Long entered into a partnership with his brother, also a physician. and they operated a drugstore on Broad Street across from the college campus. Dr. Long returned often to Jefferson to treat friends and relatives or to tend to matters relating to his farms in Jackson County. His death occurred while he was attending a patient on June 16, 1878, and he is buried along with his wife and several children in Oconee Cemetery in Athens.
Crawford W. Long Museum, Jefferson, Georgia
In 1951, a local committee interested in founding the Crawford W. Long Memorial Museum was formed. The committee raised half the purchase price of the two-story brick building believed to be on the site of Dr. Long’s medical office in Jefferson. The Georgia Historical Commission (a state agency) matched the amount, and the structure was secured in 1952. Restoration work was begun in that year with funding from then Governor Herman Talmadge and later from Governor Marvin Griffin. The work was completed in 1957 and the Crawford W. Long Memorial Museum opened to the public on September 15.
After seven years, when the Georgia Historical Commission decided to close the facility, the city of Jefferson and the Crawford W. Long Museum Association assumed ownership. Much needed financial support was obtained through the efforts of Atlanta anesthesiologists, who effected a system for regular contributions to be made from the Georgia Society of Anesthesiologists and the Medical Association of Georgia. Financial support from these groups was instrumental in funding a complete refurbishing in 1979 and for the extensive expansion project and design of exhibits in 1987 which resulted in the present-day three building complex
The Crawford W. Long Medical Museum building, the original museum structure, was built c.1879 by J.B. Pendergrass, MD, as his doctor’s office and drugstore. On display are personal items belonging to Crawford Long and his family and displays which illustrate the advancements in modern anesthesia. The focal point is a highly detailed diorama depicting the first painless operation on March 30, 1842. The museum has an expanding collection of anesthesia machines and equipment on display, and numerous videos are available for viewing on Dr. Long, the discovery of ether, the "ether controversy," and the practice of anesthesia.
The entrance building formerly served as Jefferson physician J.T. Stovall’s medical office. It was incorporated into the museum during the 1987 expansion. Exhibits cover the history of Jackson County with texts and photographs along with changing displays in three floor cases. Also housed in the Stovall Building is the museum’s archives and collections on Dr. Long and area history, some of which is stored in a humidity-and temperature-controlled "vault."
The third building is the Pendergrass Store, a Greek Revival structure, now an outstanding example of adaptive use. The front section facing Sycamore Street was built in 1858 as a dry goods store, with the rear section added in the 1880s. There are two exhibit areas in the building: a 19th century general store and a typical 1840s doctor’s office and apothecary shop which is being furnished with supporting displays describing the state of medicine during the time Dr. Long practiced in Jefferson. This historic building has just been rehabilitated with a new roof and paint, thanks in large part to a grant from Governor ZelI Mliller’s discretionary fund.
The mission of the Crawford W. Long Museum is: to preserve, interpret, and promote the achievements and times of Crawford W. Long, Georgia physician and the discoverer of anesthesia. Medical and pharmaceutical equipment is still being sought for the period doctor’s office; store stock items and anything relating to Dr. Long and anesthesia’s development are needed as well. Monetary donations are always welcomed. The museum’s funding currently comes from the city of Jefferson, the Medical Association of Georgia, the Georgia Society of Anesthesiologists, Friends of the Museum, donations. and sales at the museum "store." Sketches of the museum, commemorative Coca Cola™ bottles (created to mark the sesquicentennial anniversary of anesthesia’s discovery), Crawford Long T-shirts, and biographical pamphlets are among the many items available for purchase. Plans are underway for an endowment fund campaign to begin in late1996.
Deaver was hired in 1988 as the museum’s first director. The current president of the Museum Association is Kelly G. Hillis, a bank president in Jefferson. In 1994, Eugene J. Murdock, CRNA, became the first nurse anesthetist to serve on the museum’s board of directors.
Conclusion
Commemorating Dr. Long’s contribution to medical science has taken many forms. Georgia citizens chose him as one of their two representatives for Statuary Hall in the U.S. Capitol building in Washington, DC; his statue was dedicated in 1926. When a two-cent postage stamp was released on April 8, 1940, the first day-of-issue celebration was attended by thousands in Jefferson. March 30 was selected as the date for Doctors’ Day in honor of Crawford W. Long for his first documented use of ether anesthetic. The citizens of Jefferson have always been at the forefront of the battle to secure recognition for their former resident. Nowhere can their commitment be recognized better than in the Crawford W. Long Museum.
The museum is open Tuesday through Saturday from 1:00 to 5:00 pm, other times by appointment, at no cost to the public. Guided tours can be arranged by reservation, and a visit can include a viewing of documentaries and programs on Dr. Long and anesthesia. The museum is located in downtown Jefferson, which is about 60 miles northeast of Atlanta, just 5 miles south of Interstate 85 on U.S. 129. For more information, contact the Crawford W. Long Museum at 28 College Street, Jefferson, Georgia 30549; phone (706) 367-5307.
Suggested Reading
- Boland FK. The First Anesthetic: The Story of Crawford W. Long. Athens, Ga: University of Georgia Press; 1950.
- Fink BR. The History of Anesthesia Third International Symposium Proceedings, Atlanta, Georgia, March 27-31, 1992. Park Ridge, Ill: Wood Library-Museum of Anesthesia; 1992.
- Jacobs JP. Some personal recollections and private correspondence of Dr. Crawford W. Long. Unpublished paper. Crawford W. Long Museum; 1919.
- Sykes WS. Essays on the First One Hundred Years of Anesthesia. Park Ridge, Ill: Wood Library –Museum of Anesthesia; 1982.
- Taylor FL. Crawford W. Long and the Discovery of Anesthesia. New York: Paul B Hoeber; 1928.
- Deaver SB. Focus: The Crawford W. Long Museum. Caduceus V. 1989;4:48-55.
- Hammonds WD. The Crawford W. Long Museum: Portal to our past. ASA Newsl. 1994;58:22-24.
- Hammonds WD; Davis S. The Crawford W. Long Museum – A tribute to physicians’ support and generosity. J Med Assoc Ga. 1988;77:86-91.
- Hammonds WD; Steinhaus JE. Crawford W. Long: Pioneer physician in anesthesia. J Clin Anesth. 1993;5:163-167.
Authors
Eugene J. Murdock, Jr., CRNA, MSN, is an instructor of Anesthesiology, School of Medicine, and director of the CNRA Service of the Department of Anesthesiology, Medical College of Georgia, Augusta, Georgia. He serves as the first CRNA representative to the Crawford W. Long Museum’s board of Directors.
Susan B. Deaver, MEd, MHP, has served as the first director of the Crawford W. Long Museum since 1988. She has a background in education and holds a master’s degree in heritage preservation.
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