The Father of Anaesthetics

A fine statue in a shady spot in Princes Street for Sir James Young Simpson, whose name lives on in Edinburgh's maternity hospital. The description as 'Pioneer of Anaesthetic' is terse in comparison to the inscription on the plaque accompanying his commemorative bust in Westminster Abbey - "Sir James Young Simpson, Baronet M.D. Edinburgh to whose genius and benevolence the world owes the blessings derived from the use of chloroform for the relief of suffering. Laus Deo".