Ether/Or is about the discovery of anaesthesia, and all its advantages. But it's also about the many problems that came with it. From failed attempts to fatal consequences, the introduction of anaesthesia in 1846 was a major leap forward for medicine and surgery. But it forced doctors and patients to grapple with the many new questions it raised. What did it mean to lay claim to a discovery? What if the pain of surgery was beneficial? And what if the anaesthetic was deadly? It's tempting to think that the problems of those early days of anaesthesia have been left well in the past, but if you listen carefully you'll realise the debates those first anaesthetists had still echo in our operating theatres today. 

Episode 1 of Ether/Or will premier on October 16th, World Anaesthesia Day. Subscribe now and celebrate one of the greatest discoveries in medical history by exploring how the dark beginnings of anaesthesia led to a modern speciality with the safety of patients at it core.