(A replica of Morton’s Etherizer; which contains a sponge)
While at the Ether Dome, I found the manner in which ether was presented to the visitors of the museum, to be somewhat glamorous. As I took in my surroundings, I began to struggle with my innermost thoughts and what I was seeing with my eyes. My focus shifted to the sponge in the etherizer. By the time I left the Ether Dome, I kept asking myself, why a sponge? Wouldn’t a piece of cloth be just as effective? Would a cloth be easier to hold and manipulate and wouldn’t a cloth possibly look more sophisticated?
After researching more about the sponge, other than the function of it being able to hold liquid--I found that they were quite expensive. I don’t personally see a sponge as all that; but, back when they were first utilized to administer ether as an anesthetic, sponges were very expensive. Many of the sponges that were similar in size as those that we observed at the Ether Dome would be “seldom used outside of hospitals”. In the 19th century, sea sponges were a rarity and therefore used mainly by the rich and famous. There was a certain “glamorous” aspect that was espoused to them. Likewise, today, the sea sponge, although easier to come by, is still somewhat of a rarity and therefore it has a somewhat unique appeal. In the times of the Ether Dome and before, the sea sponge had been used as a sign of wealth. The Greeks used them to bath the Olympic athletes in perfume and oils. Also, the royal Egyptian families would clean the deceased body of a loved one with perfume filled sea sponges before mummifying the remains. Through this lens, the sponge fits in perfectly with how the museum and members of the medical community in 1846 worked in utilizing the sponge in administering ether.
The actual usage of sponges in the medical community has definitely changed since the time of ether. Now we see them as surgical sponges; white gauze made of cotton fibers are used to soak up liquids in various procedures and operations. In the past three decades, these surgical sponges have become part of the most frequent mistakes in the operating room suite--retained or misplaced surgical sponges. During operations, surgeons have accidentally left them in patient’s body cavities and then have completed the procedure without removing them. In an attempt to help alleviate the problem, it is now required (as standard operating room procedure) for the nursing staff to count the number of sponges that are used in the operation and to reaffirm that the same number of sponges that are accounted for in the beginning of the operation are the same at the end. What happens if the count is off? A recount is instituted and then an x-ray of the affected body part is performed. Surgical sponges, nowadays, have a radiopaque thread woven throughout them that can be identified by radiograph. This does have some limitations, however, especially in a particularly bloody surgical field. When a particularly brutal/bloody operation is anticipated a different surgical sponge is utilized that has a “chip” embedded in it that emits a low radio frequency. Then, a special instrument with RF technology can be utilized to help to locate the sponge without difficulty.
Sea sponges have progressed in the medical world from something that was used to administer a treatment such as an anesthetic (ether) to becoming a treatment in itself. From the Cryptotheca crypta (a type of sea sponge that grows near Caribbean islands), came the first marine drug approved to treat cancer. This sponge exerted two chemicals (spongothymidine and spongouridine) that work as anti-viral and anti-cancer solutions. This was fundamental in the breakthrough in AIDS treatment in the 1980s with the creation of the HIV drug, AZT. Another anti-viral drugs that came from this sponge aids in the treatment of leukemia and herpes.
I had always known that many medicinals and drugs were derived from the environment around us. In my mind I had envisioned that these items were derived from land plants and trees from the rainforest. I never stopped to think that other medicinals could be derived from products of our oceans, streams, and rivers. This experience has been particularly rewarding for me because it has expanded my universe of learning from observing how an inelegant sponge was utilized in the first administration of ether to, seemingly, the infinite use of our waters in the development of future drugs and medicinals. Perhaps this is the most interesting thing about starting with a question--you almost never end up where you think you will.
What do you think will be the next great medicinal breakthrough from harvesting our waters? Can we over harvest our waters much in the same way that we have overharvested our rainforests?
If you are interested in more information about RF technology and how it increases the visibility on an x-ray, please see this link: http://www.rfsurg.com/products-and-technology/rf-assure-technology
"From Sea Sponge to HIV Medicine." Ocean Portal: Find Your Blue. Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, n.d. Web. 12 July 2016.
History.com Staff. "Ether and Chloroform." History.com. A&E Television Networks, 2010. Web. 12 July 2016.
Martin, Gavin. Morton's Etherizer. Digital image. Massachusetts General Hospital, 15 July 2016. Web. 15 July 2016.
"Sea Sponges Through History."The Sea Sponge Company™ Inc. N.p., 2012. Web. 12 July 2016
Smith, Stephen. “Anesthetics in Use During the Civil War." Anesthetics in Use during the Civil War. Arbittier Museum of Medical History, n.d. Web. 12 July 2016.
Retained Surgical Items." Nothingleftbehind. N.p., 2015. Web. 12 July 2016.
RF Surgical Systems." Inc. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 July 2016.
