The Red and Black

Interesting article, good one.

Crawford W. Long, M.D. was born at Danielsville, Georgia.
While he did graduate from UGA, he received an M.D. degree from the University of Pennsylvania in 1839 and subsequently did further post graduate work in surgery in New York. Obviously he had extensive medical training that extended far beyond the borders of Georgia or UGA at the time.
An excellent book describes the fascinating and remarkable story of the discovery of anesthesia: "We Have Conquered Pain-The Discovery of Anesthesia" by Dennis Brindell Frandin, Margaret K, McElderry, Publisher, 1996. This outstanding book describes the controversy about this seminal discovery in medicine that still rages to this day. Four individuals, two medical doctors, Crawford W. Long, M.D. and Charles Jackson, M.D., and two dentists, Horace Wells and William Morton, are credited with this discovery. Since this discovery was made before Nobel prizes in medicine were awarded, none of these individuals were awarded that prize since they were not awarded until after 1900. But this seminal discovery most certainly would have been deserving of such an honor.
Three other medical doctors were associated with UGA in the nineteenth century; John LeConte, M.D., Joe LeConte, M.D., and Lorenzo Moss, M.D. John and his younger brother Joe LeConte, both graduated from UGa in about 1840 and then went to New York to the Columbia College of Physicians and Surgeons. After the Civil War, having lost their prized plantation in Savannah, Georgia, John LeConte was appointed first professor of physics and first president of the newly formed University of California, Berkeley 1868. His brother Joe followed him shortly thereafter and became a distinguished professor of Geology there. Lorenzo Moss, M.D. was delivered by Crawford Long in about 1873 at Athens, Georgia and later became the Dean of the UGA medical school in the early part of the twentieth century. Dr. Moss is credited with the early discovery of blood groups. A historical marker is placed at his childhood home in Athens.
Dr. Crawford Long, M.D. would have to be considered the most significant scientist produced in the State of Georgia, with the other three John and Joe LoConte and Lorenzo Moss a close "second".

The article posted:
He said the average anesthesiologist administers the substance in more than 1,000 cases during his or her lifetime.

I hope that the statement above in the article is not attempting to suggest that the 'substance' the anesthesiologist will administer 1,000 times in their career is ether. If ether were to be used in the operating suite today, every doctor in the hospital would come out to see it because it occurs with such rarity. Ether has been replaced as a commonly used inhaled anesthetic twice over; first being replaced by halothane then by isoflurane (among other CFCs).

So, I doubt very much that Dr. Hammonds suggested that ether would be used 1,000 times in the average anesthesiologist's career.

I think it's pretty obvious it's not ether. The guy said he used to use it 35 years ago, implying that it hasn't been used in recent years.

The article is probably talking about anesthesia in general.