The use of chloroform by British Army Surgeons during the Crimean War.

The use of chloroform during the Crimean War was determined by the opinions and experience of medical staff and by the availability of chloroform on the battlefields and in the military hospitals. This paper will begin by reviewing medical opinion on the value of chloroform in military surgery at the start of the war, and after examining the availability and use of chloroform during the war, it will conclude with an examination of medical opinion at the end of the war. A brief chronology of the major military events is given in Table 1.