New-York tribune., 1873-05-22
ANESTHETICS.
THEIR HISTORY AND PRACTICAL APPLICA-
TION


In euite of the very inelement weather last
evening stenwsy Han was well nlled, floor and gal
Arv With those who were anxious 10 hoar discourses
upon the history. chemistry and practical application
ef anasthetics In response TO request IN March last,
from Mayor Havemeyor, DR.. FOrdyce Barker, Peter
COoper and many Others Prof. r. Ogden Doremus con-
.an,ed, with the cooperation OF DIR. ]. Marion Sims
and Prof Frank II. Hamilton, NJ. D., 10 give a
lecture upon subject and last evening finally
selected. Previous to the beginning of the exercises
Charles Walter played several voluntares upon the or
gan. Among those upon the platform were, Peter
Cooper the Rev. DR.. Bellows, Prof. B. Silliman, Cen
sbaleT Alfred Paraf, DR.. Truman Smith, Dr. Cotton
Miss Adelaide Phillips, Mrs. Horace Wells, wife OF the
hrst successful laborer in this field OF science Inc
platform had been extended several feet toward the
audience, and covered in front with variety OF
tanks beakers iars and other chemical apparatus useo
by Prof. Doremus in his experiments.
Mayor Havemeyer was not present, as anticipated
and Abrsm s. Hewitt acted as chairman In MS stead
Mr.. Hewitt introduced DR.. J. Marion Sims
SPEECH OF DIR SIMS.
DR. Sims In giving the history OF anesthetcs, described
IA detail the conflicting claims OF Morton ana JACKSON
each of whom az is well known claimed to have been
che first 70 apply sulphurc ether an anasthete lie
Amen passed on speak Of the progress made 10 the
preparation and administration Of an@Sthecs which he
considered as embracing four epochs, as follows;
ls The discovery of anashesia by nitrous oxide gas
by Horace Wells in 1874. I'd The introduction OF SUI
son in is6 sd The discovery of the anesthee proper
tes OF ehloroorm. by Sir James simpson IN 1871 am
The revival Of the use OF nitrous oxide gas as an ahs
SIR HGmpbfy Davy hrst suggested the idea of
eny years ago We know that he inhaled the nitrous
oxde Gas for the relief Of pain attendant upon cutting
under the influence Of the and that he suggested
Ihat the Gas might be used to relieve the pain OF slight
sarea opef tons where there was no great enuslOn OF
blood III Sir th,,mphry had been surgeon he would
in all probability. nave put onis do4" Saie ~ S1
-SHnouneed by him was alioNSd TO lie dormant
for nearly hall Century or TIL Wells, az an ~
moment seed t9s lIea ana & az heor SHee td5 igsS y %
gas Hartford, he had given 1t 10 some young men III
comrades ana struck him forciby the head with mis-
closed fist After he recovered his consciousness, he
found that the metacarpal bone OF the middle finger
fractured, ana yet this did not suggest
gas as ausesthee in surgical operations. Sdphurlc
ether has similar record In 1876. the inhalation OF the
Drs. Beddoes, Pearson, ana Thornton as remedy IN
certain diseases Of the nng In 1880 Dr. %Ien VI bS aSf Sf
nina 10 produce ts pecullar intoxcaton aud sup
posed to be very analogous to the nitrous
oxide gas in It's effects. For the last ,.s,oty o.
~ students in all our New-England Colleges, and
there many instances on record where II has pro
duced complete insensbihty, but no one ever thought
OF using il 10 produce nSonsibty to pain during surg
cal operations till Marcy suggested IL TO Wells, and used
then rejected it, for the that they thought ii
more dangerous than the gas Then Morton comes to
the front; ana have already detailed 10 you circum
Etanuay how he led TO use It, at tue suggestion o
Jackson.
esrted that nitrous O{ide Eas had an9stnetc prop
critics They wGfe equally mistaken when they asserted
that Wells had failed TO produce au8sthesa with H.
And il would not have been easy Weiss death 10
prove the satisfaction OF the world, that they Wet,
mistaken had u not been for the revival OF the use o.
the gas by CcltoD in 1868 with this evidence aud tla
of the thousands who using the gas day through
knowledge that Wells is aSsur5dly lac dseoyerer OF
sassthesia, and Of the PRACTICAL Application oi an%s
earnest workers VINO following Meiis, have enriched
the broad domain o. an@sthesia
To that great scientist, Richardson we are indebted
for the bchOride OF ytneene. To sir dmes Y Snp-
ether. And TO Morton and Jackson we can ny accord
all honor for suphuric ether, while we claim Tor Wells
the place of hOnOr, being the nst 70 demOn
srate the that auasthesia practicable and 10
accomplished by the absorption of gases ana NapOrs
into the blood through tho lungs IIi' great pnuepie
she'd tue only credit TO any
intrOGucuOn OF new agents capable Of producing the
twenty years ago l believe that all the honor for
sesthesia was due 10 Morton Now, with al the facts
before me- give Morton and jackson all the credit for
- - @ - NV mind n Is a. clear tnIt Wels was
tue discoverer OF aI8sthesa, as is that Columbus was
the OF America. Each was followed Dy Oter
darlng ana enthusiastic explorers, who enlarged the
bounaaries Of regions previously unknown Both were
neglected. malIreated, aud rOOOcd OF their we-earued
by those who 1ad been friends and couuselors
and both overwhelmed by disappointment and grief,
ted, Itwere, OF broken hearts.
srEECH PROP. DOKEaUs.
the chemistry Of anaesthetics illustrating by
Gus interesting experiments. He said, among other
things:
Anaesthesa is derived from two Greek words, signify
ing an agent producing iusensiblty Tie anaesthouc
stte tat In which otherwise sensitive nerves arc
seneeess. The agcuJt used 10 pcoduce Is miraculous
the sacred Record leads 10 believe that the nrs case
of anaes occurred in the cyentiu lie OF tne fot
man. Adam After the eXhGustnc labor Of naming the
beasts and the fowls the Lord God causd deep sleep
fail upon Adam AS We are al ianlai the result OF thls
ne M
r1 ble 10 te yon but viii leave TINS problem 70 tne
eminent theOlOgiau who hOnOrs this evening. The
second H. of voluntary anasthesa. At the age
OF COO years NOa tired OF his work. drank Of the wine
AND was bhssfuly unconscious. Since that experiment
his descendants have often soaced themselves III The
same way Variations In temperature ancct materially
tue senses. The memorable saying Oi Tue
physician who accompanied one Of the Arctic
expeditions is, that whoever rests sleeps, whoever
sleeps VIII die" aud bears testimony 10 Jnc effect OF
cold. Cold can be produced aLtncially by the eIdp1Ia
tlOn OF dlnerent substances We nave otucI peCuHaI
physiOOglcs effects which DC produced as Jhat ACT
Of garrOtng where limit the supply OF Gods oxygen
making the muscles pOWeiless lhe adtOlt fisherman
knows this fact, and when he hOCGs large nsb, Keeps
the fish, mouth wide while the line Iaut. In6
sh becomes enfeehled ana drawn ashore There are
two agents. known choke damp the other as ire
damp, which produce anestheuc effects.
Alter series OF brilliant experiments, the subject OF
Laughing gas was resumed by the Professor lie said
with tn gas as 10 its chemical and physical properties
was due TO experiments in 1923 OF the great Fdra-
pressure by which he succeeded in hquefyng small pOr
5ions Of it. At the same time oraa hte later the same
results attained by CWO celebrated chemists
In other parts Of the world The gas when thus com
pressed is extremely cOld being hundred or more
degrees below To prove TINS small quantity OF
the nQuefed gas was poured into a glass tude and a
little nercury put IN II, when the mercury Immediately
sOnded and when taken from the tube 50 hard that
Enough thrown violently On the noOr the particles sti
continued 70 adhere together This discovery was i'm
portan from the fact tnat It oDyasd the necessity OF
Ihyscans carrying, as Of Old great clumsy bags con-
tanning the gas Now vessels containing 100 gallons Of
lhe compressed gas can be transported IN small box
about " inches IA length, In width, aud IN depth
The next an8stnetc discovered was that which is known
under the Of ether ana s discovery ranks back
- the time when Gods planet was formed. Tue sub
Iv nuIn