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From Citizendium, the Citizens' Compendium

Chloroform (trichloromethane) is a chlorinated methane with three chlorine substituents. One of the first physicians to study and calculate dosages for the use of chloroform as surgical anaesthesia was John Snow. However, like diethyl ether, another early anaesthesic, it is very flammable and can lead to explosive fires. This is particularly dangerous in a surgical setting because compressed oxygen is normally present.