Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1866-08-28

Thinking that some portion OF
your readers may be interested in
knowing something of The article
called by the above name, with your
permission | will occupy a short
space in your columns in stating a
few facts in relation to it, and its
use in dentistry
!" 1TtaH@ed Air is but new name
for an old substance. It's true name
is " Nitrous Oryd," or Protoxyd Of
/ Nitrogen and it is the same article
that has been popularity known by
the appelIation of Laughing Gas.
SO far is itfrom beinga" new discov-
cry" that it is nearly century old,
having been discovered by the great
English Chemist Sir Humphrey Da-
w. lie Experimental largely with
it, but solely in philosophical dircc-
ton, and its virtues as a means of
insensibility to pain were not made
use of until 1914, when Horace Wells,
dentist Of Hartford, Conn, conceiv-
ed the idea that by its use tooth
might be extracted without pain !,
and trying the experiment on his
own person succeeded in having the
operation performed with perfect
success. This was the first instance
Of the production of insensilality to
pain in surgical operations, by the
Inhalation of a gas or vapor, being
previous to the use Of Ether for this
purpose, or the discovery of chloro-
form. We see then, that there can
be no Just claims to aoUely in its use !;
and it may be we'll also to examine
as to whether the other adv antages
claimed for it, rest on an equally err
roneous foundation.
Nitrous oxyd did not come into
general use for the purpose of obtun-
ding pain in surgical operations, af-
ter the trial or experiment above sta
ted. The reasons for this were vari-
Gus. 1t was too transient in its eff
fects, was too difficult or trouble
some to prepare and keep fresh, and
! too uncertain in its action to be able
to successfully compete with Ether,
which was made use of immediate
~ aftcrward. The discovery of chic
reform q short time subsequently,
completely prevented any farth er
attempt to introduce it and thus it
has remained until recently used on
" for purposes Of scientific expert.
ment, and popular amusement. It's
name of laughing gas" is derived
from the fact that when inhaled it
produces in the person inhaIing it Il
sort Of intoXication. and leads them
to indulge in excessive laughter, dee
!amation, or other amusing perform
ances. This state however soon
passes off, and the person returns to
his natural condition,
In 1868 u travelling lecturer, Col
ton by name, being the same who
had administered the gas to pr.
Wells, in 1914 as above stated, con
ceivcd the idea Of making a hobby
by reviving the use CT the gas for cx-
tracing teeth. lie had previously
used it for the purpose Of exhibition
to audiences but now establishing
himself in New York, he employed a
dentist to do the pulling while
he administered the gas. BY dint of
extensive advertising he succeeded
in bringingit considerably into notice,
and many dentists in different parts
Of the country, procured the neces-
sary apparatus and endeavored to
bring it into general use.
In January 1864 occurred the first
recorded instance Of death from its
use. A Mr.. Sears, of n, Y. inhaled
the Gas at an establishment in that
city and expired in a few moments
from a congestion Of the lungs caus-
ed by its use The patient was suf-
fering from Il disease Of the lungs,
and tho Coroners' jury acquitted the
the person who administered the gas
These facts however will show that
any claim to its being perfectly
safe are also entirely unfounded.
This fatal instance, together with
the objections which had been found
to exist at first to its use, namely
the passing off Of the effect too quick.
" to admit Of the performance Of 4
operation of any length, the incon.
venience and uncertainty attending
its use, and the absence of any ma
terial advantage over Ether or Chic
reform, 10 compensate for these dis
advantages, cause it to be very gen
orally abandoned and many arc
the Instances | have known of per.
sons-myself among the number
who have procured the apparatus
and who now have them stored VI
as useless lumber.
Bat recently another attempt has
been made to re-introduce the article
This time tho names Nitrous Ok
va" and " Laughing gas are care
fully dropped, owing to the bad rep
utation which they have IN some
parts of the country and the " New
Agent" is christened YitaIized
Air. and stated to contain the
same elements as atmospheric air
only in different proportions y thus
giving the public the idea that there
can be nothing deleterious or dan
gerous ia it. IT is easy to show the
falsity of this conclusion. The
chemist is aware that no prediction
Of the nature or effects of a com
pound. can be made from a knowl
edge of its component parts and il
no instance is this truth more mark
edly manifest, than in the very elias,
/ l.