Simpson, Sir James

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Simpson, Sir James (1811–70). Anaesthetic pioneer. Youngest son of a Scottish village baker, Simpson entered Edinburgh University in 1825, to graduate MD (1832) and proceed rapidly to the chair of midwifery (1839). Excited by the new use of sulphuric ether as an anaesthetic agent, but concerned to find a substance more manageable and effective, he self-experimented with other volatile fluids before settling on chloroform (1847). Despite its rapid popularity, his advocacy for its use in natural childbirth as well as surgical intervention led to intense criticism from moralists and theologians until Queen Victoria's delighted approbation after the delivery of her ninth child (1853). A baronetcy was bestowed in 1866. Always in a hurry, but with foresight and an intensely critical mind, Simpson's contributions to obstetric science and foundation of gynaecology considerably improved their credibility, while his wider interests included hospital infection and design, acupressure, and archaeology.

A. S. Hargreaves

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Sir James Young Simpson

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