Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1886-05-17
A NEW AN.IssrHETlC.
important Discovery Of Poor Brook
Ign Dentist.

Ign Dentist.
From, tie Teie FORK Slt-.
A week ago little baldAeaded deut!st
who lives in Brooklyn sent invitations to
the eminent doctors IN this city and Phiia-
delphia asking them to DO present at
series Of experiments that be proposed
making with new aue.thetic he mad
discovered. He explained that his COM
mound was something ehurely unknown
hitherto and the result OF i've years work.
He pleaded that he was poor, and could
not afford to give his formula TO the world,
and, although be was willing 10 demon
strate the uses Of his discovery, he pre-
ferred to keep its ingredients TO himself.
When be appeared in the laboratory OF
a friend 10 demonstrate tue practical adj
vantage OF his discovery with patients he
found nobody there TO listen 10 him. But
on Tuesday afternoon six well known
physicians and star man in the parOr
OF an uptown dental establishment await
ed his arrival. He came al last, mopping
his bald head and shaking the rain drops
from his threadbare coat. In a rambling
sort of way. while he opened his instru-
ment bag and evapOrating pans, the dem
tisL made little speech IN which he tod
the story Of mis- discovery.
''For many years." lac said, 81 have
thought tnat progressive science should
devise means tor producing natural sleep
at will. Knowing that the agents hereto
fore used Tor producing an9sthesia seri-
ously interfered with the natural and In-
dlspensable functions Of the heart, lungs
and brain, | therefore determined to in
Vestigate aud discover, il possible, some
agent that would produce natural sleep
at will, without pain or danger, or in any
way interfering with the normal organic
functions OF the human system. In my re-
searches / find toe functions of the brain
suspended in two ways-tirst, complete
suspension of the braih function, as in
coma; second, as in 81 ncope or prolonged
faint.
no person can be wakeful with a d.
munition Of the blood circulation OF the
brain. Sleep depends entirely upon that.
IL, however, the condition of sleep be-
comes abnormal aud remains SO for a
considerable length OF time, the sync0pic
& feet must produce death. ChlprOi0rm,
ether, nitrous oxide gas produced sleep
analogous to that existing in coma, and
may end in DEATH"
Here the little dentist went into a dis
cussion on the functions OF nerves and
the effect of the old ap8sthetIcs on the
system, and their tendency to produce
nausea, headache, prOstration and per-
haps death. He wound up by saying that
his discovery produced natural sleep al
most lnstan taneously, and the patients
recovered OF their own accord invigOrated
and refreshed. He hobbIed into a side
room and soon appeared with a deerepit
old woman. He promised to remove all
the decayed stumps from her mouth ifshe
allowed him TO use his an9thetic in the
operation. He saturated a napkin with
substance that looked Ike water and
emitted pleasant odOr. For an instant
he held ii over the old iady's nose, telllpg
ler TO breathe freely, and in thirty sec
OndS she was unconscious. He allowed
the napkin 10 remain, and for over two
minutes he worked, extracting sixteen
teeth. The patient never moved. and to
all appearances she did not feel the pain
attending the operation. On removing
the napkin. almost Immediately she re-
yived and stepped out of the chair as
fresh and hearty as she got into it.
She said that she had vague idea OF
what was going on while under the infu :
ence OF the an9sthetic, but could not NOV q
hand or foot. she was reminded ola per-
son in trance. and described the symp-
TOMS she experienced as a sort of sus-
PENDED animation. Sic said she knew
that the dentist was pulling her teeth out,
but she felt nc pain.
Eight persons were made and kept I'M
conscious from half 20 two and a half
minutes. In one case the napkin was al
low Q u remain LOT SIN minutes. Inc
patients all told stories similar TO the old
lady's, and went away IN good spirits. The
Star man was the last subject, and these,
IN brief, were the sensations expert
enced:
From the moment the napkin was
placed over his face a feeling OF uncOn-
seriousness came over him, and at the end
ol third Tree inspiration everything be-
came blank. His arms hung at his side,
and be could feel that they were there,
hut they were beyond the voluntary con-
troll Of the Will; a sense OF dreamy Ian
guOr followed, and, as If on the wings of
a neet bird. he was borne through the air
high above the earth. The sensation was
altogether pleasant. Then the scene
changed, and his skull tingled, million
minute hammers no bigger than a fine
needle began pounding all at once. Tney
shattered into fragments in an instant,
the napkin was removed and ali was
over. Recovery was instantaneous, and
all effect was gone. the time taken by
one OF the physicians was ~ minutes.
The lit G dentist was urged TO reveal
the comp uent parts OF his an9sthetic,
but De refused. saying that h. was too
poor, and much AS be would like 10 dc
something Tor science he had to think OF
his hungry wife aud children at home,
The physicians who witnessed the expert.
ments said tue results were marvellous
but as long as the whole thing could not
be scientifically explained 10 the probes
sion at large they would never accept IL
Perhaps it will never receive the just
recognition It 50 richly deserves.