Origins & Early Life

Crawford Williamson Long (November 1, 1815 – June 16, 1878) was an American surgeon and pharmacist best known for his first use of inhaled sulfuric ether as an anesthetic. Long was born in Danielsville, Madison County, Georgia on November 1, 1815, to James and Elizabeth Long. His father was a state senator, a merchant and a planter, and named his son after his close friend and colleague, Georgia statesman William H. Crawford.

Pivotal Works & Achievements

By the age of fourteen, he had graduated from the local academy and applied to the University of Georgia in Athens. It was here he met and shared a room with Alexander Stephens, future Vice President of the Confederate States of America during the American Civil War. In 1835, he received his A.M. degree. He began his study at Transylvania College in the fall of 1836 in Lexington, Kentucky.

Enduring Legacy & Impact

Here, Long was able to study under Benjamin Dudley, a revered surgeon. He observed and participated in many surgeries and noted the effects of operating without anesthesia. Long transferred to the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia after spending only a year at Transylvania College, and was exposed to some of the most advanced medical technology of...

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