The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1879-08-27
VOLUME XIII.

made on the subject was q paper published il
NJ Boston Medical and Surgical journal
November 1916, written by HenryJ Bigelow
NJ D., one Of the surgeons Of the Massachu
sets General Hospital. From that time tn,
news was spread everywhere a. fast a. steam
could carry IT, and in few weeks surgical
operations were performed under auasthe-i IL
/ 10 all parts OF the civilized world. II wa.
MortDn'- intention to dcgdUIize and disguise
the ether 10 which he gave the name oil
@I@theon, and under the protection of a pa
tent make an immense fortune out Of 1t. H.
/ proposed 10 sell Individual, town, county and
State rights 10 use his patent. Ii was 10
I part II his policy to publish the discovery 10
/ the world. That it was published a. the
I time II WIS the world Is indebted to the sur
I geons Aforesaid. One Of the surgeons, Henry
/ j. BiSeIOw, NJ. D., who had bat recently en-
tered the practice, but now Professor Of Sur
gerry IN Harvard University, has done more 10
/ advance the claim OF Morton than any other
/ man. He seems TO have been MOrt0u's pro-
/ fessional advisor. IL advocated his claims in
I publications, IN private letters and in every
other practicable way.
( Edward H. Clark, N. D., late Professor, al
so III Harvard University. and author OF the
I article on Practical Medicine in a Century 81
American Medicine" published in the Ameri-
. can Journal OF Medical Sciences, 1S76-ls77.
asserts in the article referred to, that lie
Prof. BigelDw) did more than any other
I living person To bring il modern au;esthesia)
before the medical public Of this county, and
+ VI Europe, TO assert its real value and to
/ point ont the best methods of utilizing it
+ lie further asserts, that . He was not only
/ present when the first operation was performed,
/ but was personally acquainted with most Of
I the steps ia the early progress Of the discovery.
+ with the claimants to the honor OF it, and
with all Importance that appcrtains to the his
/ tory of it Alter these preliminary remarks,
I he Introduces and appends to his article 4
/ long and labored paper from Prof. Bigelow,
which pUrport- to be final review OF the ether
/ controversy DIR. Clark's remals could apply
/ only to Wells, Morton and Jackson; Tor at
/ the time referred to, Prof. Bigclow knew moth
/ ing Of Or Long But being fully convinced
I that Morton's claim was better founded than
. those OF Wells and Jackson. he espoused Nor
/ tons cause and did what he could to establish
it. TO this no one can object. But when
/ Longs discovery, antedating Morton's four
and a hall years, was made known, and all
| the facts connected with il established by un-
/ Improbable testimony, the is changed.
/ But here comes up the question of publica-
/ ton. He asserts that publicity Is essential
+ to originality" He says: He who keeps
his discovery, comparatively to himself, dis
covers or uncovers nothing Morton not only
made no publication Of his discovery but en-
deavored to cover il up rs far Is possible with
patent. This, however, is palliated by the
statement, that In those days dentists had
secret methods to which they attached a money
value, and which went far to justify both Sc
Crecy and patent"
Prof Bigelow says : b" This suspicion of
discoveries, who do not appear until after the
world has been made to recognize the discov
cry, Is Justified by the fact that hardly an in
vention OF Importance WAS ever made known
that it was not at once claimed, often simulta-
neously from variety OF sources.
1t Is hardly too much to say that at the pre-
sent day, every invention discovery having
Il large supposed value, Is systematically con-
tested" Grant this NAV be so yet an i'm
partial investigation always decides the rela-
tive merits of the contestants. No claim can
be established without sufficient proof OF its
superiority over all others. But how long
after the publication OF a discovery by one
party before others shall be denied hearing
There Is rule or precedent that | am aware
Of. The world viii recognize the claim of any
one, until better claim shall have been
tablished. Discoveries often made stimuli
tancousy or in quick succession, by different
parties, without any knowledge of each other.
Because one party, perhaps by some merely
fOrtuitOus circumstances, or by more favorable
surroundings should become known before the
others. should be no TeasonS il seems TO me,
why the others should be denied hearing.
And if any one can establish priority OF dis
covery by sufficient evidence, then the suspi-
Cion must he removed and the credit awarded
where it is due
The patent having proved a failure, Morton.
true to his money getting instincts, and backed
bv emienent surgeons before mentioned. petit
toned Congress in 1893, to grant him large
sum of money for the discovery, and an APP
preparation OF 100000 was recommended by
a committee of Congress, but Jackson and the
friends Of Wells, who was then dead, opposed
it; each claiming the appropriation Tor them
selves. Whilst Congress Investigating
the rival claims, and committees were taking
testimony to determine who was really entitled
IL f...sf. 80
DIR. Longs discovery came to light, and put
quetu7 upon the claims OF all three OF the
contendiug parties. Thus ended the bitter
rivalry of three former enterprising friends,
and with all their bright visions OF peCuniary
emolument Here the matter rested. Already
the great war cloud, which was so soon to del
uge our country in fraternal blood was visible
in the political horizon. During the few years
of its incubation all was excitement and sus-
pense. All eyes were turned To the impending
catastrophe, and every other interest was lost
sight Of Then came the war with Its attend
ant train and consequences, which are too
fresh in the memory OF everybody, to require
any further reference. Unfortunately DIR.
Long lived in that section which was the the
atre OF the war, and like all others on his
side, he lost nearly everything. After the war
was over, the great question with us all, was
how To provide for the physical wants OF our-
selves, and OF our families. Therefore, ! pre-
sumo the matter would have slumbered in
Rnitfpi, so far as DIR. Long was concerned, and
Morton by default would have enjoyed the
credit of discovery OF surgical anasthesia, If
it had not been for DIR. J. Marion Sims, who |
by mere accident, had his attention called 10
the subject by an eyewitness of Longs opera |
tions; a crcumstantial account OF which is |
given in the Virginia Medical Monthly for |
May, 1877.
When Jackson heard of Longs discovery, |
he made a visit to Athens, Georgia, 10 see |
him. and to investigate tie grounds upon |
which his claim was based After thorough |
investigation of the evidence, personal and |
written, he was perfectly satisfied that Long |
was the first to produce aneesthesia for surgi- |
cal PURPOSES and so published in the Boston |
Medical and Surgical Journal, sometime after |
his return home.
To persons unacquainted with DIR. Longs |
character and his Surroundings, it may appear |
that he should have delayed so |
long to publish in the medical journals dis |
covery of so much Importance. Especially |
would such a course appear strange at this |
time, when it has become fashionable TO |
rush into print on the first impulse. To give
due weight, therefore, to this seeming IndItfer-
ence or apparent failure 10 realize the great |
value of the discovery, 1t Is but Just that all /
the peculiarities of his character and sur
roundings be taken into consideration. The |
writer was intimately acquainted with DR. /
onp being a native of the same county, and |
ian Vouch, from personal knowledge, Tor the /
truth of any statement made concerning him.
He was graduate of Franklin College, now /
The University OF Georgia, and OF the medical
iepartment OF the University of Pennsylvania. |
He was prudent, cautious, excessively modest
and unaspiring A young man, ardently de-
voted to his profession, he would have scorned
. do ANYTHING derogatory to its dignity or vi
,Iatiye of its ethics. His location at the time
If his discovery was IN the small village oil
Jefferson. the countryside of Jackson county,
1eorqia- and his practice was mostly in the
families OF farmers, offering but few opportunl-
les for surgical operations. 1t so happened
hat the inhalation OF ether for amusement
lad become very common in the community
n which he practiced. On these occasions ne
,wn nersou. that wounds and bruises might
e received without pain while under the in
lueuce of ether. From this fact 1t was but