<P><b> On Friday, October 16, 1846, only one operation was scheduled at Massachusetts General Hospital....</b></P><P> That day in Boston, the operation was the routine removal of a growth from a man's neck. But one thing would not be routine: instead of using pulleys, hooks, and belts to subdue a patient writhing in pain, this crucial operation would be the first performed under a general anesthetic. No one knew whether the secret concoction would work. Some even feared it might kill the patient. </P><P> This engrossing book chronicles what happened that day and during its dramatic aftermath. In a vivid history that is stranger than fiction, Ether Day tells the story of the three men who converged to invent the first anesthesia &ndash;&ndash; and the war of ego and greed that soon sent all three men spiraling wildly out of control. </P><P> </b></b></P>