The Portland daily press., 1896-07-08


pointing to the tooth lying on the floor.
"Nol' cried the man in greatest
amszemen +, gpringing from the chair;
AMI being good Methodist, shouted,
| "Glory, Hallelujah r. At that moment
| DR.. Morton felt that the success of sui
phuric ether was assured.
from that time my husband was IN
ceasing In his efforts to bring his dis
covery before the medical world, and.
| after many discouragements, he succeed
ed in inducing DR.. John G. Warren, Sc
Nor surgeon in the Massachusetts, Cen
eral Hospital, to allow him to visit the
hospital and try his discovery upon q
patient who was about to be operated
upon. Tho night before the operation
my hus band worked until four o'clock
in the morning upon an inhaler he had,
then regarded as essential to the opera
ton, although it has since been discard
ed. l assisted him, nearly beside myself
with anxiety, for the strongest influences
had been brought to bear upon me to
dissuade my husband from making this
attempt | had been told that one OF two
things WAS sure to happen-sither the
test would fail and my husband would
be ruined by the worlds ridicule, or he
would kill the patient snd be tried for
manslaug Thus l WAS drawn in
two ways, for while l had unbounded
confidence in my husband, it did not
was only 81 years old at this time) could
be wiser than the learned men before
whom he proposed to make his Demon
htration.
After resting q few hours, my husband
was off early in the morning to see the
instrument maker, for there were still
changes necessary IN the inhaler. From
that moment l saw nothing Of him for
twelve hours of mortal anxiety. How
th oIo ro+ ct +bo
window, expecting every moment some
messenger to tell me that the patient had
died under the ether, aud that the Doc
tor would be- held responsible. Two
O'Clock came, O'Clock, and it was not
until that DR.. Morton walked in with
his face SO sad that 1 felt failure must
have come. He took me IN his arms al
most fainting as I was ard said:
well, dear, succeeded"
In spite of these words his gloom of
manner and evident depression made
it impossible for me TO believe the good
news. 1t seemed as IL he should have
been SO highly elated at having accom-
piished one of the most splendid achieve
ments of the century and yet here he was
have said, by lond of disooulagement
This was due not only to bodily fatigue
and the reaction a fter his great effort,
but to an iDtuitive perception for the
troubles in store for him. 1t Is literally
true that DIR. Morton never was the same
man after that day. His whole after
life was embittered through the boon he
had oonferredtupon the human race.
OF the three men now living who saw
this first operation upon patient under
the influence of ether, one is DR.. Robert
Davis of Fall River. He was then a
medical student in Boston, and he has
given ms the description OF what hap
pened on this memorable occasion. The
amphitheatre of the operating room was
crowded with members of the medical
profession, doctors and Students ali ouri-
GUS and skeptical as to the outcome of
the experiment to be- made. All the
great surgeons of Boston were present,
including the celebrated doctor, Jacob
Bigelow, whose son, DR.. Henry j. Bige-
low, young and enth usiastio surgeon Of
about DIR. Morton's age, was warm
friend Of DR.. Morton's, and perhaps the
only man present who had faith in him.
1T must be said, however, that he had
more grounds for his belief than the
others, since he he'd been privileged to
witness some of my husbands previous
tests with ether in private.
The hour for the operation arrived and
DR.. Morton was not on hand. Five
minutes passed, ten minutes, and then
DR.. Warren, the eminent surgeon, look
ing around with smile on his face,
slightly sarcastic, suggested as DR.. Nor
ton was not present it might be well to
let the operation go on in the usual way.
The patient had meantime been brought
in and was lying on the operating. table
deathly white doubly apprehenstye of
what was to come. At that moment Dr.
Morton came in breathless from haste,
carrying the mailer, that had just been
delivered to him by the maker, and had
nearly been the cause Of the failure of
the test
Without any delay and with cooln ess
and self possession in strong contrast
with the general tension of the assembly,
DR.. Morton proceeded to administer sui
phurio other to human being for the
purpose of DESTROYING pain by forcing
anaes.hesia in q surgical operation for
the first time in the worlds history.
Pouring the liquid into the inhaler, he
lifted the latter to the patients nostris
and held it there for some minutes al
lowing the man to breathe the fumes.
Then, looking into his face intently and
feeling the pulae, he turned to Dr.. Wax
rem, who stood near by, his surgeons
knife behind him, and Eaid in a quiet
| tone that sounded plainly through the
silence:
Your patient is ready, Doctor
Then in all parts of the anphifheatre
there came quick catching of the
DF6atus lultUWcu ny d olAouoo dlIuOSG
deathlike as DR.. Warren stepped forward
and prepared to operate. The sheet was
thrown back, exposing tho portion of
the body from which tumor was to be
removed ON operation exceedingly pain
full under ordinary conditions, although
neither very difficult nor very dangerous.
The patient lay silent, with eyes closed
| as If in sleep. but every one present full
~ expected to hear shrek of agony
ring out az the knife struck down into
the sensitive nerves. But tho stroke
cvme with no accompanying cry. Il hen
| another and another. and still the patient
lay silent, sleeping while the blood from
several arteries spurted th. Tho sur
geon was doing his work, and the patient
was free from pain, SO it seemed at least,
and all in wonder strained their eyes and
bent forward, following eagerly every
step in the operation. Those in the front
lows leaned far over or knelt on the
floor SO that those behind might see bet
ter.
The operation advanced quickly and
easily to it's finish. The tumor was tax
en- away, the arteries fastened with liga.
lures, the gaping wound sewed up, then
dressed and bandaged. Half an hour
covered the whole of it. During that
tiroa m orv or oroap acoapad fho ,>sA;-L