Medical milestones, landmark publications, and notable births and deaths associated with November 21.

Events

1846 – Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr (1809-1894) writes to William Thomas Green Morton (1819-1868) proposing the terms “anaesthesia” and “anaesthetic” for ether-induced surgical insensibility, helping fix the vocabulary of modern anaesthesia.

The state should, I think, be called ‘anaesthesia.’ This signifies insensibility, more particularly to objects of touch. The adjective will be ‘anaesthetic.’ The means employed would be properly called the anti-aesthetic agent. Perhaps it might be allowable to say anaesthetic agent, but this admits of question. The words antineuric, aneuric, neuro leptic, neurolepsia, neuro etasis, etc., seem too anatomical; whereas the change is a physiological one. I throw them out for consideration.

I would have a name pretty soon, and consult some accomplished scholar, such as President Everett or Dr. Bigelow, Senior, before fixing upon the terms, which will be repeated by the tongues of every civilized race of mankind.

Oliver Wendell Holmes, November 21, 1846

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Births

1914 – Henri Laborit (1914-1995), French surgeon; one of the founders of modern neuropsychopharmacology involved in the discovery of chlorpromazine, clomethiazole, and minaprine

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Deaths

1904 – Karl Stellwag von Carion (1823-1904), Austrian ophthalmologist; described Stellwag Sign (1869)

1930 – Ernst Fuchs (1851-1930), Austrian ophthalmologist; described Fuchs Corneal dystrophy (1910), Fuchs Spots (1901), Fuchs Dellen (aka Fuchs dimples)

1986 – Theodore Campbell Thompson (1902-1986) was an American Orthopedic Surgeon; described Thompson Test (1962) [aka *Simmonds-Thompson Test]

1999 – Robert Alvin Berman (1914-1999), American anesthesiologist; invented the Berman Airway (1949), Berman Resuscitube (1952), Berman Quik Cuff (1956), Berman Intubating Airway (1978)

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Further reading

• Warren E. Some account of the letheon, or, Who is the discoverer? 1847
• Memoranda relating to the “discovery of anaesthesia” 1895