The daily morning journal and courier., 1894-08-23
4 COMING CELEBRATION.
The Discovsrsr of Anaesthcsis. From the Hartford Times.l

I ffou th6 ahfttofu iimcssl
 At the annual meeting of the Con-
 necticut State Dental association. held
 In this city last May, Drs. George L.
 Parmele. Civilian Jones and James Me-
 Manus were appointed committee to
 make arrangements for A proper cele-
 bration of the hftieth anniversary of
 the discovery of anaesthesia by Dr.
 Horace Wells. December II. isi4.
 At the meeting of the American Dem
 tai association. recently held at old
 Point Comfort n committee was ap-
 pointed to arrange national celebra-
 ton of the fiftieth anniversary of tho
 discovery by Dr. Wells. It was voted
 to hold the celebration at Philadel-
 phia. December Il. 1894, and a general
 committee was appointed. with m ex-
 ecutive committee of eleven, to make inc necessary arrangements and report
 progress. Dr. E. s. Gaylord. of New
 Haven. was appointed on the general committee and pr. James McManus, of
 Hartford, on the executive committee.
 It was voted to invite Professor
 Thomas Fillebrown. M D.. D. D. S.. professor of operative dentistry in liar ward university, to read a paper on the discovery of anaesthesia. and Professor James E. Garretson. M. D.. D. D. s.. surgeon at the Philadelphia Dental col iege,to read a paper on anaesthesia in us, relation to surgery and its benefits to mankind. It was also voted to have banquet In the evening, at which many distinguished members of the profession would be present.
 The Boston controversialists, who for years attempted to uphold the false claim of William T. c. Morton. a Bos- ton dentist, for the honor of the discov- cry of anaesthesia, have of late years subsided, under the avalanche of proofs that have established the title of Dr. Horace Wells. of Hartford, to that hon. or. In the August number of the Cen tury magazine, a writer signing him. self E. L. Snell,-very likely of Boston, -revives the false claim. and gives a long and misleading statement to show that Morton was the discoverer. The Dental Association of Connecticut, and the American Dental association, to say nothing of the formal declaration of congress, all give the honor, where 1t belongs. to Dr. Wells. The American association, at its meeting last week, passed the following resolution, intro- duced by pr. McManus: Whereas. Papers printed in the maga-
 zines of the day are calculated to mis-
 lead the public as to the facts in re-
 gard to the discovery of anaesthe- | sia,-
 Resolved, That the American Dental | association places itself on record, as 1t | did in 1864, by affirming that. the late 1 Horace Wells of Hartford, Conn, Is en- | titled to the honor and credit of the dis | covery. The justice of Dr. Wells claim was esta blished by an official in vestigation before committee of con- gress. The testimony taken at this in- is published in a work on Modern Anaesthesia," published in 1867 by the late Hon. Truman Smith, United States senator from Connecti- cut.
 Dr. Wells diseoyery of the use of pi- trous oxide gas dates back nearly two years earlier than Morton's trial of ether in the Massachusetts general hos pital. Morton had visited Hartford to see Wells and find out what he could | about nitrous oxide gas; and he tried l to discourage Wells from any further | use of it. Later he came out, backed l up by Boston doctors, as "thc discover CT of anaesthesia."
 The committee of the State Dental as- sociation are arranging TOT tablet to | the memory of Dr. Wells. His statue 1 already stands on Bushnell Park.