Simpson, Sir James Young (1811-1870), a Scottish doctor, specialized in the problems of childbirth, or obstetrics. In 1847, he found in chloroform a substitute for ether, and was the first to suggest the use of this drug to relieve the pain of childbirth. An argument followed the discovery. It ended in Simpson’s favor when Queen Victoria gave birth to her eighth child, Prince Leopold, under chloroform. Simpson was born in Bathgate, Scotland.
