Nitrous or nitric? Same difference. Molecular formulas in the 1840s

Early misconceptions about nitrous oxide, an “invigorating” asphyxiant

“…Surely, if the life of a patient who is dying can be prolonged a few hours by the gas, it must be a safe anaesthetic agent" [19]. The assertion that there is no oxygen in diethyl ether (C 4 H 10 O) is an indication of the rigor of the chemistry [20].…”

Liquor made quicker: alcohol as a synthetic reagent for molecules in anesthesia

“…1h], the anesthetic popularized by James Simpson and John Snow, was derived from ethanol [17]. When ethanol is mixed with aqueous sodium hypochlorite (Chlorox), chloroform layers out in the bottom of the flask [18]. It was this ethanol-derived anesthetic that was administered to Queen Victoria in 1853 during the birth of Prince Leopold, an event that overturned objections to obstetric anesthesia [17,19].…”