On 16 October 1846, in the amphitheatre of the Bullfinch Building of the Massachusetts General Hospital, Dr John Warren performed the first operation to be carried out under anaesthetic.
The hospital now admits nearly 30,000 patients a year and is one of the most intensive users of medical technology in the United States.
Geoff Watts recently visited Massachusetts General Hospital and reports on some medical discoveries and developments, and the problems facing American health care.
Producer GEOFF DEEHAN (Repeated: Sat 3.25 pm)