The sun., 1892-05-15
HOW PAIN WAS MASTERED.
THE INTRODUCTION TO PRACTICAL
USE or dNES THE7ICS.
A Veteran Surgeon Tells Of the Great DIS
coveries OF Only Firy Years Ago-euss
gerry Before Ether llnd Become KnOwns

OF science mas been this lattor hnlf OF the nlnos
teenth century. that to tarn back TO the time
when our familiar things did not oxist almost
dislocatcs our memories-it is like going back
to older centuries. Ono OF the most common
occurrences Of to-day Is tho use Of laughing
gas or OF some other an@sthetic: yet sur
geons now living and practising can renems
Der tho time when operations were performed
on persons absolutely and entirely conscious
Of each stroke Of the lancet: Tor 1t Is not vet
fifty years since Horace Wells OF Hartford ex.
permentcd upon himself with laughing gas"
and made tho first breach which has enabled
tho surgeons and chemists OF to-day to coms
plcte tho mastery OF pain.
Dr.. benjamin Ward Richardson Of London.
who was present at tho introduction to Great
Britain Of practical anRsthetlcs. has con.
triruted to Longn,dn's Magazine his recolleo.
tions OF the wonderful event. indicated for
centuries. yet stunning in its effect when
finally it occurred and momcntous In its power
to change the destiny Of human life. Before
the introduction of an;esthetcs operations
were simple. comparatively few plastic opera
tions could be performed: but the introduction
ofether, chloroform. nitrous oxide. and cocaine
has broadencd tho powers OF the surgeon a.
much as tho subjugation OF electricity has
extended the power Of the business man.
In the oldest days Of medicine. says DR..
Richardson. mandragora was used as potion
to reduce or remove the pain Of surgical oper.
ations. and plny gave u prescription for Q
as hss iewad with snaeess
Ice. arrisd to the Skin, had Peen found to pro.
piled before an operation had been tried by
ihnibr9Ise AM, Pare and others to lessen pain In
1888 TumphIy Davy discovered that nitrous
oxide gas rendered him who inhaled it obvi.
GUS of tho common sonsibilities. But after
Wells OF Hartford experimental wit that same
gus; and, treading on 1n9 another,s heels:
OF Boston. with their discovery OF the proper.
ties of surhuric ether.
ether was, given occurred, on Dec. 10. 1876.
when Dr. Bouth and Mr.. Robinson extracted q
bes M St ss Lsien
istcred ether for the first time IN the theatre
wards Sir john Forbes. lie described to. me
nesssd 1 t$s s great @ ssrssSn u Iisson n ampusss S
rain. the surgeon cultivated rapidlty Of action.
pieted the removal ] Of the limb within the the
minute. This. eombined with the m omentous
Of e ss G BY ss
1t was not fenr. it was not faintness; 1t was
an emotion pp3infu as he expressed i, from
i.iston. who was flushed, and 50 bresthlssi
:GentIemen.' : n. l he almost los choked." S' A' "'11
We who take everything for granted simply
stand readily what the introduction OF anDs.
thetics meant both, to operator and patient.
changes produced on the minds as we'll as the
Of coad one d 8. %oad S gho1
remember. still oven with pain. what ops
s %San day mt Is 1se each
,hs thought should get through thepoos
seeing and taking part In an operation. ~ res
brought tolerance. but that a man must keep
his hand in if he meant to retain his nrm.l
when ! had to witness the first capital
operation sought the companionship oi9
out that he was pore nervous than was and
prudently left the operating theatre as the pa.
sDs ths otdss " and to
taken ont OF myself by seeing the eonsum.
c Hswre a
one Of the most splendid operators' am u.s.
Ing his distingnsSSd riXa Sir William Fer.
tesk. Tic Quicker the surgeon the .erester
and such was the rapidty in this case the op.
GRAFTON was actually over. in SO far as the ma.
ali Al had hoen, ws1i:, but INST y shat mo:
scream that went through me. and. in spite Of
the tenderness and llrmncSS with which the
nurses assured him it was all over. continued
held while the final steps OF the operation
Sscape FAINT and Ga so9e et the tReaTs
turned over. but kept my legs. saw in kind
came back to thorough consclousness iisten-
ing to the short lecture which DR.. Lawrie Was
operation. tho the manner % in " which It had been
conducted. and the chances for and against
Unless man kept at work In the operating
theatre he never. in those days. became hard.
enod to tho business. Even then the hardening
was not permanent. and DR.. Lawris told mo
without feeling load of care and anxiety
that would not wear of until tho labors OF his
day Were ended.
7" In this ho was not alonc. for Cheselden. the
and the first W to tor restore sight to. the blind ii
hn optration. to whom one of his gratslA
patients addressed the couplet.
scsw.t thy hsT% a, cauIa no. .,.t feel
never undertook an operation without being
blanched, and experiencing sensation q
anxiety that Was Ikea seizure which, oil hts
moral courage could scarcely control"
II the Introduction OF anpsthetics made this
change for the operators. what did IT do TO th9
t put them n'IS,d beyond lie re@ch Of pain. Dr.,
Richardson says that the patients approached
.ns S @ gr tine Ga sort rSs ssssa
ths tw 1GtrT a the as rqh
was made up to undergo the operation shrink
from it at the last through fear of pain, and
that he rarely. II ever. saw patient shed tears
during tho operation. Submission to the me-
ceSsIy of the ordeal was followed by sort o
holy courage which lasted until the operation
began. Then came an almost certain change
ol view. and insistance that tho, operation
should be stopl ed at al! risks ian. and then I r..
as possible, These different pcadings. says
Pr Richardson. frequently repeated. become
tho actual stage Of an opera.
tion might b. calculated from them by those
accustomed to he proceedings"
. Besides few cases Of weeping there were few
faint!ngs during those old operations. unless
much occupied in mind TO faint and the Rain
seemed t. be- stimulating antldote. This
fact actually stood in the way OF the progress
of anGstietics: FOR some surgeons declared
that 1t was bad practice TO annul pain. because
it was good stlmulant and kept the padsnt
up to tine mark.
TO nitrous oxide succeeded almost imme.
diately chloric ether. and then chloroform; Afs
ter ILut .ama ntlYlane. intrnducad hY DE.