Ether Monument
The Ether Monument, also known as The Good Samaritan, is a statue and fountain near the northwest corner of Boston's Public Garden, near the intersection of Arlington Street and Marlborough Street.
It commemorates the use of ether in anesthesia. Its design has been attributed to the Boston architect William Robert Ware and to the sculptor John [Quincy Adams Ward]. It is tall and is the oldest monument in the public garden.
Description
The statue depicts a medical doctor in medieval Moorish-Spanish robe and turban—representing a Parable of [the Good Samaritan|Good Samaritan]—who holds the drooping body of an almost naked man on his left knee. The doctor holds in his right hand a cloth, suggesting the use of ether that would be developed in centuries to come.The anachronistic use of a Moorish doctor was probably intentional and served to avoid choosing sides in a debate that was raging at the time over who should receive credit for the first use of ether as an anesthetic. A handful of individuals had claimed credit for the discovery of anesthesia, most notably William T. G. Morton and Crawford Long.
Inscriptions
At the base of the statue are inscriptions explaining the significance of the discovery of the use of ether as an anesthetic. There are four inscriptions, which include biblical quotations from Isaiah 28:29 and Revelation 21:4:History
, where this procedure took place, is located about a 15-minute walk from the site of the monument. The operating theater at MGH where the experiment took place was renamed the Ether Dome. It is now a National Historic Landmark. Several books have been written about this specific event.The monument was erected in 1868. It was restored and rededicated in 2006.