Joseph Thomas Clover (born 28 February 1825; baptised 7 May 1825 – 27 September 1882)[2] was an English doctor and innovator of anaesthesia.

He invented a variety of pieces of apparatus to deliver anaesthetics, including ether and chloroform, safely and controllably.

Clover assisted at surgery of public figures including Napoleon III, Princess Alexandra of Denmark and her husband King Edward VII (then Prince of Wales), Sir Robert Peel, and Florence Nightingale.

His inventions included the bulky 'Clover's chloroform apparatus' (1862), with which he was often photographed; and the compact 'Clover's portable regulating ether inhaler' (1877), which remained in use well into the 20th century.

[5] Clover enrolled to study medicine at University College Hospital in 1844, where Joseph Lister (innovator of antisepsis) was a fellow student.

Clover was probably present[3] at Robert Liston's first operation under ether anaesthesia at University College Hospital in December 1846.

[5] During his lifetime, Clover invented and improved a variety of pieces of medical apparatus, especially those for easier and safer anaesthesia.

Clover's solution was a large reservoir bag of known capacity, lined with goldbeater's skin to make it airtight, into which a measured volume of chloroform liquid was placed.

Inflating the bag to its capacity with a bellows provided a known, accurate and constant concentration of chloroform vapour in air, making delivery safer and more controllable.

[12] In 1949, the Royal College of Surgeons established the annual Joseph Clover Lecture in recognition of his contribution to anaesthesia.