William Johnston Almon 2339196 196479330 2008-03-07T06:06:04Z WikHead 6338983 Split link, made two [[Image:William Johnston Almon.jpg|thumb|150px|William Johnston Almon]] '''William Johnston Almon''' ([[27 January]][[1816]] – [[19 February]] [[1901]]) was a [[Canada|Canadian]] [[physician]] and [[Member of Parliament|parliamentarian]]. Born in [[City of Halifax|Halifax]], [[Nova Scotia]], Almon received his medical education from the [[University of Edinburgh]] and the [[University of Glasgow]]. He was awarded a [[Doctor of Medicine|medical degree]] from the later university in [[1838]]. By [[1839]], Almon had returned to Halifax and had an established a medical practice. He is noted for being among the first physicians in [[North America]] to employ [[chloroform]] as a [[surgery|surgical]] [[anesthetic]], a procedure he first performed on [[5 February]] [[1848]], within 90 days of the first-ever application of chloroform as an anesthetic by [[James Young Simpson]] in [[Edinburgh]]. Almon was also a pivotal figure in the establishment of the first [[hospital]] in Halifax, and helped found, and served three terms as president of, the [[Medical Society of Nova Scotia]]. As a [[Liberal-Conservative]] first elected in the [[Canadian federal election, 1872|Canadian federal election of 1872]], Almon served one term as a [[Member of Parliament]] representing the [[electoral district (Canada)|electoral district]] of [[Halifax (electoral district)|Halifax]] in the [[Provinces and territories of Canada|province]] of [[Nova Scotia]]. Although he did not stand again in [[Canadian federal election, 1874|1874]], he was on [[15 April]], [[1879]] appointed to the [[Canadian Senate]] on the recommendation of Sir [[John A. Macdonald]]. He represented the senatorial division for Halifax until his death. == External links == *[http://www.biographi.ca/EN/ShowBio.asp?BioId=40647 Biography at the ''Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online''] *[http://www.parl.gc.ca/information/about/people/key/bio.asp?lang=E&query=2009&s=M Political biography from the Library of Parliament] [[Category:1816 births|Almon, William Johnston]] [[Category:1901 deaths|Almon, William Johnston]] [[Category:Canadian physicians|Almon, William Johnston]] [[Category:Members of the Canadian House of Commons from Nova Scotia|Almon, William Johnston]] [[Category:Historical Conservative Party of Canada MPs|Almon, William Johnston]] [[Category:Historical Conservative Party of Canada senators|Almon, William Johnston]] [[Category:Canadian senators from Nova Scotia|Almon, William Johnston]] [[Category:People from Halifax, Nova Scotia|Almon, Will]] [[Category:Pre-Confederation Nova Scotia people|Almon, W]] [[Category:Scottish Canadians|Almon, Will]] {{NovaScotia-politician-stub}}