As a 1903 dental graduate of the University of Maryland, Elmer W. Remsberg, D.D.S. (1889 to 1936), had to compete with more established dentists after arriving in Newville, Pennsylvania. Rather than administering “chloroform…cocaine or some other dangerous medium” of anesthetic, Dr. Remsberg advertised his use of “Somnoforme,” a volatile French mixture of ethyl chloride, methyl chloride, and ethyl bromide. Touting Somnoforme on his ca. 1907 trade card (above) as “the Ideal Anaesthetic,” the dentist reminded Newville’s citizens that he had “recently installed electric light” and that, day or night, they no longer needed to travel the 11 miles to Carlisle or the 38 miles to Harrisburg for “modern anesthesia.” (Copyright © the American Society of Anesthesiologists’ Wood Library-Museum of Anesthesiology.)
As a 1903 dental graduate of the University of Maryland, Elmer W. Remsberg, D.D.S. (1889 to 1936), had to compete with more established dentists after arriving in Newville, Pennsylvania. Rather than administering “chloroform…cocaine or some other dangerous medium” of anesthetic, Dr. Remsberg advertised his use of “Somnoforme,” a volatile French mixture of ethyl chloride, methyl chloride, and ethyl bromide. Touting Somnoforme on his ca. 1907 trade card (above) as “the Ideal Anaesthetic,” the dentist reminded Newville’s citizens that he had “recently installed electric light” and that, day or night, they no longer needed to travel the 11 miles to Carlisle or the 38 miles to Harrisburg for “modern anesthesia.” (Copyright © the American Society of Anesthesiologists’ Wood Library-Museum of Anesthesiology.)
George S. Bause, M.D., M.P.H., Honorary Curator and Laureate of the History of Anesthesia, Wood Library-Museum of Anesthesiology, Schaumburg, Illinois, and Clinical Associate Professor, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio. UJYC@aol.com.
