Question

The levels (stages) of ether anaesthesia were demonstrated by whom?

• A. Morton
• B. Guedel
• C. Thompson
• D. None

Hint:

Four stages of ether anaesthesia bear his name - the Guedel stages.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is B

Step 1: Identify the eponym. Arthur Ernest Guedel described the depth of general anaesthesia produced by ether by dividing it into four progressive stages, classically known as the Guedel stages or Guedel signs.

Step 2: Recall the four stages. Stage 1 is analgesia, stage 2 is excitement or delirium, stage 3 is surgical anaesthesia (further subdivided into planes), and stage 4 is medullary paralysis or overdose. These were defined using clinical signs such as pupil size, eye movements, and respiratory pattern during spontaneous ether breathing.

Step 3: Exclude the distractors. Morton is credited with the first public demonstration of ether anaesthesia, not with describing its stages, and Thompson is not associated with this classification. Therefore the stages of ether anaesthesia were demonstrated by Guedel.

Hence the correct answer is option 2.