Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-01-05
FOR FIFTY MILLIONS.
A Pittsburg Physician, Seemingly
Serious, Proposes to Bring
SUIT AGAINST THE GOVERNMENT
Because of Refusal Of a Patent Upon q
Medical Invention.
CLAIMS TO BE AHEAD OF MR.. EDISON

The following communication. which is
seli-explanatory as far as il goes, has been
received from wellknown Pittsburg physi-
cIan:
TO the Editor Of The Dispatch:
81 notice with pleasure your reference of
Edison as doctor in recent issue. You
have described how Edison is no longer sat
isfed with revolutionizing industry, but has
now begun TO cast his eyes on medicine.
You say that his first experiment resulted in
the diffusion of lithium salts through an ami
NAL membrs ne by the use of the electric
current, etc.
''Permit me to say thatth is not discov-
cry of Mr.. Edison's, but that i, the under
signed. did discover this process over ten
years ago, and that 1 employed Messrs.
Mum & Co., proprietors of the Scientific
American and patent agents, to secure Tor
me letters patent under the patent laws Of
the United States, and that for certain
reasons my said attorneys failed to secure
letters patent, although my claim was as
follows:
Broad and Sweeping Claim.
"First-That I.eould macerate watery So
luton of opium gum and bv an electric cur
rent convey all OF its medical properties to
glass of water, at any distance from. one
mile to 90, 900 miles.
"Second-That one of my experiments
was in pumping 80 grains of strychnine into
the stomach OF dog, and by an electric
current convey the poison from the dogs
stomach to glass of water. which expert
ment was successfully performed, az the
dog did not die-while other animals ted
with the water operated on all died from
strychnine poisoning.
"Third-My third experiment was to chain
ten persons together with needles and wire,
and then by placing the pure COW pox virus
in glass of water and connecting the cor
rect circuit and applying the electric current,
all ten persons-men, women and children
were inoculated with the COW pox virus
in its most malignant form; indeed, some OF
those persons threatened me with suit for
damages, but when 1 told them that they
knew it was an experiment, they had no case
they having agreed to submit to the ex-
pertinent and take their own chances on the
result. Ii those persons are still alive they
can be produced, as
Performed the Experiment
At Bradford, Pa. A thousand witnesses can
be produced from Mexican county who can
testify of my discovery. l also performed
many other experiments.
"The daily papers Of Bradford, also, of
Philadelphia, New York, Boston and 1 also
think OF Pittsburg, had many lengthy
articles on my discovery. L am prepared
to prove in court that my attorneys failed to
procure letters patent, although my iu-
vention was new.
'Mr. Edison having now appeared with
similar discovery. will prove that was en-
titled to patent and that the officers OF the
Patent Department did me grievous wrong
when they refused my application for
patent. They claimed that the electric cur
rent could not be seen, and for this cause
they refused me NV patent, at least so my
attorneys, Messrs. Mum & Co., informed
me. ANY way, was frozen out
81 now claim, upon the authority of Mr..
Edison's alleged discovery, that was en-
titled TO patent for my discovery, and that
Mr.. Edison's discovery is not new but
part of my own discovery and part OF my
application for patent upon general prin-
ciples, because my application for patent
embraced all OF the agents and remedies in
the pharmacopoeia OF the United States and
of all of her countries.
To Sue the Government.
ST will now sue tine United States for S50,-
000 900 damages TOR having refused me
patent as above described, and will pro-
tect my interest against any other person
proposing to patent this principle. 1 can
cOuNcg Tue dCbiNc piOpCEdCS anu pies OA
any drug or chemical or of any disease to any
part of the United States of America from
the city OF Pittsburg. The battery that
invented for this purpose contained
Faradic, galvanic aud static current.
With these three currents combined / can
decompose and extract the active principles
of any drug, chemical or disease, and con-
vey the same to any remote part of the globe
by the use OF the electric current.
"When the United States Government
employed scientific men TO investigate the
cause why the yellow fever broke out in re-
mote parts, where no yellow fever had been,
and that at these remote points the telegraph
operators were the first to become victims to
the disease, while the investigation was
pending called the attention OF the Gov
ernment to my discovery and claimed that
could tell them all they wished to know Of
these principles. think it cost the Gov
ernment over half a million to find out
nothing, while my discovery was ignored.
81 am yours truly,
"S. G. GINNER, IL. D."