New-York tribune., 1873-05-24
THE HISTORY of ANESTHESIA.
A STATEMENT BY DIR. BIGELow OF BOSTON.

STATEMENT BY DIR. BIGELow OF BOSTON.
TO the Edttor Of The Tribune.
SIR: In 1900, Sir Humphry Davy discOy
cred that he could produce insensibty TO "intens
physical pain" in extensive Inflammation OF the
gum by inhaliDg nitrous OXIDE and he says as nrou
oxide IN its extensive operations appears capable Of
destroying physical pain, it may probably be used wih
advantage during surgical operations in which no grea
efusion Of blood takes place." so that Dr. Wells could
claim no originality in the discovery conception
anasthesia OF the fact that nitrous oxide would pro
duce It. Fifty years after Davy wrote the above viii
regard TO intense pain in his own gum, Horace Wen
made further discovery still prior TO that OF eherzs
ton, viz. that nitrous oxide gas would sometimes pre-
vent a man from knowing that his tooth had been
pulled, and that sometimes it would not. But hs
failure to produce insensibility in every case
so greatly discouraged him that he abandoned
the use OF the gas, and, as far as he then knew
or intended he abandoned IL forever He said he was
disappointed in the effects OF the gas and that 1t would
operate he had hoped and thought as there was
no certainty be placed 1t, and consequently he
should abandon he had somuch other business "a
attend ito, and the gas would not work In all cases
ahke and therefore could not be trusted" Instead Of
gas he now took up and occupied himself with the In
vention and patenng OF shower baths and coal sfter
and dealt in pictures on large scale. While be WssOc
cupied with nitrous oxide Wellss experiments had e1
cited some attention among his friends and acquains
ances at Hartford but OF that city almost IN
known, unless here and there associated with failure
and on that account considered useless.
Pain still attended surgery, and DR.. Wells did not
think worth while to make single printed written
statement his discovery during the interval Of nearly
two years preceding the discovery Of etherzaton Oy
Dr. Norton which was different thing. There was no
failure In that. In three months 1t had aroused me
whole civilized world Wells recognized il as successful
and at once wrote Morton tell him that II his Nor
lila
it to be. not attended with too much trouble
and II it would produce the effect that he MOrton) stated
II would undoubtedly prove fortune to him" DO~
this sound like the language of man who had made me
discovery OF a valuable anesthesia the existence" :"
which would render Morton's discovery wholly super
huousi How was etherization to prove " fortune
Morton II the discovery had been forestaled by weiss
nitrous oxide and the ground preOecupled by that "
alleged two years befOre Fortggstely this letter n'
been carefully preserved II Is too plain, from all the
crcums tances that wes discouraged by failure hsd
practically abandoned his discovery when he was on
the very verge OF making it valuable. HundredsO'
other discouraged inventors have done the same tne'
II was only natural that when Wells saw how e'HerF
cation was received by the world, and how nearly 10
had grasped this valuable prize, this fortune anu
yet missed IT, his sensitive nature should feel the ms
fortune deeply He again set 20 work with nitrous OK
ide but too late the discovery had been already %u
OF an anpsthesia which not only safe but WHICH, VI"
like nitrous oxide as administered by "ehs' No'
failed Wells subsequently made every effort TO o'ns
forward his nitrous OXIDE tried IL in case OF '~o
surgery and, becoming more and more e&ci'eu aVo"'
his claim and his unfortunate failure. even repuuas
part OF the letter he had written to DIT Mor'on ~ w
at last died manifesting signs OF insanity -,
II welss method t. e., the method he had emplO'ou
before the discovery Of etherzaton stimulated nin
further experiments and TO the use OF larger saSo
instead OF the common small one ho had hrst u'eW-u
this original method "a his which failed, had been '
only resource OF surgeons, there would DC no SufN
anasthesia In the world ut the present time
po,I,. Ma, o. is7s HENRY J. BI0ELow'
THE DISCOVERY OF AN-fsrHEsIA'
70 me gdtiOr Of rhe Tribune.
SIR, Atameeting to be held on "Wednesday eve
inc IN, Sims proposes ~ try and prove that Dr. wen.
NO. tne author OF anBstbesia. Tho medical proieSs
NewYork. under the sanction OF the names OF "vH
noat distinguished. members, give the honor OF TINS u
ovarv to nv husband, the late DR.. Morton OF bv,t ~
ma medical profession OF Boston, IN tho wsaun,sr
rhom this discovery made, ana VINO "o. -, until
with Its entire history, give their buman
Ir Morton first demonstrated the fact that to - the
svaem could be rendered nsensiOie 70 tS I uosn.
s,rgeons knife at the Massachusetts GeheIat re-
tai In October, lS46 there was no knoMn da, srss
venting pain surgical operations Frv aisea or An.
new era In surgery What any one else SUI "a tried
ferred, whatever experiments os rsd Is the same.
until Dr. Morton proved and forced upon pia bs nriced
two points that lnsensDiity % pain ,hs 4scoyery
and that it was safe. This consttuoS I'm bas besn
BEFORE this surgery agony sinee, P ~ mankind
a~nulIed For mis- great boon that no gave W "'">
he suffered unparalleled poreeo nuOh ,.-., az Noaros,
keao York, May ~. 1878. hL@ ""