April 9, 2004

Dazzled by the dome

"An outstanding monument to the history of medicine," is how one visitor to the MGH
described the Ether Dome. Home to the first successful public demonstration of the use of ether as an anesthetic in surgery, the Ether Dome — located in the Bulfinch Building on the fourth floor — is a common place for meetings to be held. It also is the resting place for Padihershef, the 2,500-year old mummy given to the hospital in 1823. What MGHers may not realize is that the dome also is a popular destination for tourists visiting Boston.

Examining two guest books — located in the two stairwells leading to the Ether Dome — it is apparent that visitors have passed through the dome to soak in the history of such a monumental event and have enjoyed their experiences. Visitors have come from as far as China, Japan and Australia and from throughout the United States. Comments range from "wow" to "the only place you can take a picture with a mummy" to "amazing to stand where such an important event in history occurred."