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TheDiscipleMD

Who could have guessed that the Old Testament could give an inspirational kick to the advancement of modern Anesthesiology. Yet, apparently it was, by verses found in the second chapter of Genesis.

“And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof; And the rib, which the Lord God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man.” (Genesis 2:21-22)

You may ask, how could these verses be an inspiration to medical advancement. Well, according to the Bible,  Adam was put into a “deep sleep” by the Lord. And according to history:

“Sir James Young Simpson (1811-1870), pioneered modern anesthesiology through his discovery of “Chloroform” in 1847. He stated that his research was inspired by the “deep sleep” that Adam was put into.” (“America’s, God and Country, Encyclopedia of Quotations” by William J. Federer).

It appears that Dr. Simpson was intrigued by how the Lord accomplished the “deep sleep”. It is a funny thing, because prior to reading about Dr. Simpson, I had never given it a second thought. The Lord “caused” a deep sleep to come upon Adam, and that is that. But for inquisitive minds, that, is not always that! Reading about Dr. Simpson and his inquiring mind reminded me again of the importance of having such a mind; an “inquiring” mind. In an age where information is at our fingertips and explanations of every aliment and problem that besiege us are readily at hand, it is easy to develop a “lazy” mind.  It is even more deadly to develop “lazy” spiritually. Our spiritual minds need to be exercised. We need to be reading the inspired words of God. Who knows what will come out of it? Perhaps, like Sir Simpson, it will even be inspiration that can bless the world.

In order for our minds to be spiritually exercised, we need to read, think and ponder on the inspired words as recorded in the scriptures. Then we need to “experiment” on the word. (Alma 32:27). That is what Dr. Simpson did. He read the words in Genesis. Then:

“Dr Simpson and two of his friends, Doctors Keith and Duncan used to sit every evening in Dr Simpson’s dining room to try new chemicals to see if they had any anesthetic effect. On the 4th of November, 1847 they decided to try a ponderous material named chloroform that they had previously ignored. On inhaling the chemical they found that a general mood of cheer and humor had set in. But suddenly all of them collapsed only to regain consciousness the next morning. Simpson knew, as soon as he woke up, that he had found something that could be used as an anesthetic” (Wikipedia).

Perhaps we won’t discover something of historic importance, like Dr. Simpson, when we read the scriptures. Then again….! However, despite a distinguished career in medicine, Sir James Young Simpson concluded this:

“My greatest discovery is that I have a Savior”. (“Men of Science-Men of God”. Henry M. Morris, page 52). Sir Simpson got it right! And in the end, his greatest discovery should also be ours!