In Bathgate, a town in Scotland, a boy was born in 1811. His family were not wealthy, and his mother died when he was nine years old, but he went on to become one of the most famous doctors that has ever lived. His name was James Simpson, and he was educated at the University of Edinburgh and trained as a doctor.
He attended the operating room soon after starting his medical training and the place was not as clean as it might be, and there were no gowns, masks or gloves worn by those doing the operation. The patient was terrified and had to be held down firmly on the table as the operation took place. As the surgical knife was used, the screams of the patient echoed around the building as there were no anaesthetics in those days. The sound of that distressed patient stayed with James Simpson, and he determined to see an end to such suffering and conscious surgery.
