Illinois Medical District in Chicago in Cook County, Illinois — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

Samuel Guthrie, M.D.

Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, August 22, 2024

1. Samuel Guthrie, M.D. Marker

Inscription. To Samuel Guthrie, M.D.
1782—1848
Commemorating his discovery of chloroform

Erected by Chicago Medical Society.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Science & Medicine. A significant historical year for this entry is 1782.

Location. 41° 52.489′ N, 87° 40.312′ W. Marker is in Chicago, Illinois, in Cook County. It is in the Illinois Medical District. It is at the intersection of West Congress Parkway and South Wood Street, on the right when traveling east on West Congress Parkway. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Chicago IL 60612, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the American Midwest

and on the Great Lakes.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Viceroyalty of New France,

the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

and the Northwest Territory.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Route 66 Landmark / Punto de Referencia de la Ruta 66 (approx. ¼ mile away); West Side Grounds (approx. 0.3 miles away); Jackson Boulevard (approx. 0.4 miles away); Wieboldt's Department Store (approx. 0.4 miles away); Operation Iraqi Freedom

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(approx. 0.4 miles away); a different marker also named Jackson Boulevard (approx. 0.4 miles away); Jackson Boulevard District (approx. 0.4 miles away); Robert Marvin "Bobby" Hull (approx. 0.4 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Chicago.

More about this marker. As recalled in Link 2 below, the "Guthrie Boulder" was brought to Chicago by Samuel Guthrie’s grandson, Ossian Guthrie, a noted geologist who discovered the boulder in Worth, Illinois, and sought to use it to commemorate his father, the first manufacturer of chloroform. After a series of disputes and legal cases between the Chicago Medical Society and the South Parks Commission, the boulder was placed in Grant Park, near the Art Institute, around 1905. A few years after Ossian Guthrie died in 1908, the South Parks Commission moved the stone—which still did not have an engraving—to Washington

Samuel Guthrie, M.D. image. Click for full size.

via Wikipedia, unknown

2. Samuel Guthrie, M.D.

Park on the south side. A plaque was finally added in 1925, but later stolen; in 1933, an engraving was added. Finally, the stone was sent to its final resting place, near Cook County Hospital and Presbyterian-St. Luke’s Hospital. A dedication ceremony involving Dr. Guthrie’s descendants took place on May 19, 1957.

Regarding Samuel Guthrie, M.D.. Samuel Guthrie was a physician who served in the War of 1812 as an Army surgeon. In 1831 he was the first to publish findings on the discovery of chloroform, an anesthetic that enabled better treatment during surgery and childbirth, and in war during amputations. Guthrie's son, Alfred, settled in Chicago in the 1840s and died here in the 1880s.

Also see . . .
1. Samuel Guthrie (physician). Wikipedia entry (Submitted on October 26, 2024, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York.)

2. The Guthrie Boulder: A Forgotten Monument to Anesthesia in Chicago. From Anesthesia & Analgesia, a journal by the International Anesthesia

Guthrie Boulder image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, August 22, 2024

3. Guthrie Boulder

The former Cook County Hospital, now a Hyatt hotel, can be seen in the back ground.

Research Society, a long history of the Guthrie Boulder and its many moves around Chicago until finding its final resting place near the Louis Pasteur statue close to the old Cook County Hospital. (Submitted on August 22, 2024, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.)

Pasteur Memorial image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, August 22, 2024

4. Pasteur Memorial

West of the Guthrie stone is a memorial to Louis Pasteur (the taller sculpture in the right background), which was first located in Grant Park in 1928 and moved to its current location in 1946.

Guthrie Boulder, 1912 image. Click for full size.

Chicago Daily News Collection, Chicago History Museum, circa 1912

5. Guthrie Boulder, 1912

Caption from the Chicago History Museum: "Image of Guthrie boulder on a raised platform in Grant Park by South Michigan Avenue in the Loop community area of Chicago, Illinois. The view is looking north along Michigan Avenue and the Art Institute of Chicago is partially visible in the background. The boulder was named for Samuel Guthrie (1782-1848) discoverer of chloroform."

Credits. This page was last revised on January 4, 2025. It was originally submitted on August 22, 2024, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois. This page has been viewed 383 times since then and 48 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on August 22, 2024, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois. 2. submitted on October 26, 2024, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York. 3, 4, 5. submitted on August 22, 2024, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.