n March 30, 1842, Crawford W. Long, M.D., a graduate of the School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, administered the first anesthetic for surgery in his office on the corner of the village square in Jefferson, Georgia. Dr. Long was a native of nearby Danielsville, Georgia, and had recently returned home after completing several months of advanced training in surgery in New York City. The patient was a friend, James Venable, and the surgery was the excision of a lump from the back of Mr. Venable’s neck. Dr. Long eventually moved away from Jefferson and settled in Athens, Georgia. His claim to have performed the first anesthetic was largely ignored by the rest of the world, but the citizens of Jefferson never forgot this pioneering physician. After he moved, the building that Dr. Long used for an office continued to be occupied by another physician for a while but was eventually torn down, and in the late 1800s, two buildings were built on the site. One of the buildings was a general store until 1957 when it was converted to a museum honoring Dr. Long and his historic accomplishment at that location.

Historical Growth
The Crawford W. Long Museum was operated by volunteers until the 1990s when it underwent a remarkable period of growth. A consultant from Cleveland, Ohio, supervised a reorganization of the collection. The buildings on both sides of the old general store were purchased and added to the museum in order to have space for the expanded collection. The museum added items reflecting the history of anesthesiology to the existing collection centered on Dr. Long. During this period of remarkable growth, the citizens of Jefferson were instrumental in the leadership of the museum. The Jefferson City Council provided support to the museum in the form of salary for the director. The Georgia Society of Anesthesiologists also provided monetary support for the museum. John E. Steinhaus, M.D., former chair of the Department of Anesthesiology at Emory University, sat on the board of directors of the museum, and new anesthesiology residents at Emory University regularly made field trips there. Ownership of the museum remained with the Crawford W. Long Museum Association.

Pledge of Support
During this interval, the Wood Library-Museum of Anesthesiology (WLM) established a formal relationship with the Crawford W. Long Museum. In 1994, Elliott V. Miller, M.D., then president of the WLM Board of Trustees, arranged a meeting of the two boards in Jefferson, Georgia. A formal document was signed by the presidents of both boards, pledging “mutual support.” That support has taken the form of exchange of duplicate artifacts and the sale of WLM items in the museum gift shop. Additionally I was chosen to be the first representative of the Crawford W. Long Museum Board of Directors to the WLM Board of Trustees.

Uncertain Times
By 2006, the contribution of the Jefferson City Council no longer met the expenses of the Crawford Long Museum, and the shortfall was not met by other contributions. For several months, the future of the museum was uncertain; during this time, the director left for employment elsewhere. On April 16, 2007, the Jefferson City Council voted unanimously to assume total responsibility for the museum. On May 3, 2007, the museum board of directors voted unanimously to transfer ownership of the museum and all its holdings to the city of Jefferson, Georgia. As this is being written, lawyers for both sides are arranging the transfer.

A Long Time Coming
Over the past several years, repairs to the museum have been postponed because of its precarious financial position. Part of the arrangement with the city of Jefferson is that the city will assume responsibility for the needed repairs. Bids for those construction projects are being taken at the present time. The repairs are extensive and will require disruption of the interior of the museum. During these repairs, the museum will be closed and will probably not reopen until spring 2008.

Daniel Holden is the new Acting Director of the Crawford W. Long Museum. He is very knowledgeable about Crawford W. Long’s role in what has been called “America’s greatest contribution to medicine,” and he is well-versed in other aspects of the early history of anesthesiology.

All of this constitutes a new beginning for the museum and gives hope that the site of the first anesthetic will be preserved as an important part of the heritage of anesthesiology.

William D. Hammonds, M.D., M.P.H., is Professor, Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, Medical College of Georgia, Augusta, Georgia.