The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1880-01-23
The First Use OF Ether.
[Nineteenth Cenhiry.b .

LNineteensh CenaaryI s.
In the Journal of Science and the Arts,
published in 1913 at the Royal Insttu-
ton, there is a short anonymous state
ment among the "Miscellanea," in which
it is said: when the vapor of ether
mixed with common air is inhaled it pro-
duces effects very similar to those ooca-
stoned by nitrous oxide" The method
of inhaling and its effects are described,
and then at is necessary to use caution
in making experiments Of this kind. By
the imprudent inspiration OF ether gem
tleman was thrown into very lethargic
state, which continued, with occasional
periods of intermission, for more than
thirty hours, and a great depression Of
spirits; for many days the pulse was 80
much lowered that considerable fears
were entertained for his life"
The statement of these facts has been
ascribed to Faraday, under whose man
agemeut the journal was at that time
published. But whoever wrote or who
ever may have read the statement, it
was, for all useful purposes. as much
neglected as was Davy's suggestion of
the utility Of the nitrcus oxide. The
last sentence, quoted as it was by Pc
reira and others writing on the uses of
ether, excited much more fear of death
than hope of ease from ether inhalation.
Such effects as are described in it are of
exceeding rarity; their danger was
greatly overestimated; but the account
Of them was enough to discourage all
useful research. But as the suiphuric
ether would produce effects very simi-
lar to those occasioned by nitrous oxide"
aud was much the more easy to procure.
it came to be often inhaled, for amuse-
ment, by chemists lads and by pupils in
the dispensaries of surgeons. 1t was Of
ten thus used by young people in many
places in the United States
They had what they called "ether frol-
ics," in which they inhaled ether till they
became merry, or in some other way alb
surdly excited, or, sometimes. completely
insensible. Among those who had joined
in these ether frolics, was DIR. White, Of
Anderson, South Carolina. In one Of
them, in 1899, when nearly all of the
party had been iuhaling, and some had
been laughing, some crying, some fight
ing-just as they might have done if they
had had the nitrous oxide gas White,
then lad Of II, saw negro boy at the
door and tried to persuade him to inhale.
He refused and resisted all attempts to
make him do it, till they seized him, held
him down and kept handkerchief wet
with ether close over his mouth. Pres
emily his struggles ceased; he lay insen-
sible, snoring, past all arousing; he
seemed to be dying
And thus he lay for an hour, till medi.
cal help came, and, with shaking, slap
ping, and cold spashing, he was awak-
ened, and suffered no harm. The fright
at having, it was supposed, SO nearly
killed the boy, put an end to ether frolics
in that neighborhood; but in 1912 Will
hite had become pupil Of DR.. Crauford
Long, practicing at that time at Jefferson,
Jackson County, Georgia. Here he and
DR.. Long and three fellow-pupils often
amused themselves with the ether inhala-
tion, and DR.. Long observed that when
he became furiously excited, as he often
did, he was unconscious of the blows
which he, by chance, received as he
rushed or tumbled about.
He observed the same in his pupils
and thinking over this, and emboldened
by what Mr.. White told him Of the ne
gro boy recovering after an hours insen
sibility, he determined to try whether
the ether inhalation would make any one
insensible of the pain of an operation
So, in March, 1912, nearly three years be
fore Wells observations with the nitrous
oxide, he induced Mr.. Venable, VIII,
had been very fond of inhaling ether, t
inhale it till he was quite insensible
Then he dissected tumOr from his neck
no pain was felt, and no harm followed
Three months later, he similarly removs
another tumor from him; and again, il
1912 and in 1845, he operated on thre
other patients, and none felt pain. Hi
operations were known and talked Of il
his neighborhood; but the neighborhoo'
was only that of an obscure little town
and he did not publish any Of his obser
vations. The record Of his first opera
ton was only entered in his ledger
"James Venable, 1872. Ether and ez
cising tumor, $2." s.