Chloroform Bottle (Anesthesia), 1864

This small tin was used to store chloroform, one of the main anesthetics during the Civil War. Surgeons relied on it heavily during operations, especially amputations, to put soldiers to sleep and ease their pain. Before chloroform, surgeries were often done with little to no pain relief, which made operations extremely traumatic for soldiers and difficult for doctors. Chloroform was poured onto a cloth and held over the patient’s mouth and nose, causing them to lose consciousness in just a few seconds. This made it easier and faster for surgeons to work, especially when hundreds of wounded soldiers arrived from the battlefield. Despite the harsh conditions, the use of anesthesia showed that doctors were trying to be as humane as possible even in war.

By the end of the war, chloroform had become a regular part of surgery, saving thousands of lives and changing the way medical care was handled in the field. Though the tin itself seems ordinary, it represents an important step in medical progress and compassion at a time when both were badly needed.