Ether vs chloroform safety: which was considered safer?

• A. Chloroform
• B. Ether
• C. Nitrous oxide
• D. Sevoflurane

Answer: (B)

The main idea here is comparing how risky each inhaled anesthetic was to the heart and liver. Ether was considered safer than chloroform because it caused far fewer life‑threatening heart rhythm problems and less liver injury. Chloroform can make the heart unusually sensitive to adrenaline, leading to dangerous arrhythmias, and it also has a higher risk of toxic liver injury. Ether, while not without its own drawbacks (like flammability and irritation), generally offered a larger safety margin for these critical organs. The other agents mentioned have different safety profiles or came later in history, so they weren’t the historically favored safer choice over chloroform.