A surgical operation in the Murghab Valley, the patient under chloroform. Illustration of an a surgical procedure performed by the British surgeon, C.W. Owen. A young woman had fallen into a fire and burnt her face. Dr. Owen is shown operating on the eye of the unconscious woman, while a group of people in native dress watches. 1885. Chloroform was once a widely used anesthetic. Its vapor depresses the central nervous system of a patient, allowing a doctor to perform painful procedures.