Joseph Thomas Clover

Joseph Thomas Clover
Born28 February 1825
Died27 September 1882(1882-09-27) (aged 57)
3 Cavendish Place, London, England
Occupation(s)Physician, anaesthetist

Joseph Thomas Clover (born 28 February 1825; baptised 7 May 1825 – 27 September 1882)[1] was an English doctor and innovator of anaesthesia. He invented a variety of pieces of apparatus to deliver anaesthetics, including ether and chloroform, safely and controllably. By 1871 he had administered anaesthetics 13,000 times without a fatality.

Clover assisted at surgery of public figures including Napoleon III, Princess Alexandra of Denmark and her husband King Edward VII (then Prince of Wales), Sir Robert Peel, and Florence Nightingale.

His inventions included the bulky 'Clover's chloroform apparatus' (1862), with which he was often photographed; and the compact 'Clover's portable regulating ether inhaler' (1877), which remained in use well into the 20th century.

With fellow innovator John Snow, Clover is one of the supporters on the crest of the Royal College of Anaesthetists.

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference Sykes8 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).