The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1902-07-26
THE BOSTON EITHER" FEUD.
Georela's Claim May Revive a Medical
Controversy of the Fifties.

From the Boston Post.
The "ether controversy" which was so
acrimoniously waged In the late "forties"
and early "fftiea." of which Boston was
the storm center. proves after all not to
have been closed.
Its volcanic career has almost been for
gotten by the generations of later and
present days. The volcano has been only
dormant. ~
Recently observed signs indicate an i'm
mediate activity and Mont Peiee Of
fire, gas and mud threatens to Involve
the medical profession.
The reason for this probable recrudes-
cence of an almost forgotten famous
feud is afforded by the simple dispatch
dated July from Atlanta, Ca, that
1.-THE commission created by the last leg
islature to select two prominent Geor-
CLANS whose statues shall occupy inches
in Statuary hall at Washington. met
here today.
1.-THE prevailing sentiment was that
only one name should be selected at pres
ent, and the commission adjourned after
deciding on DR.. Crawford w. Long, the
discoverer of anesthesia, as the hrst
Georgian to be thus honored.'
The name of DIR. Long as the dis
coverer of anesthesia, will be new to
Boston. The ether controversy was
carried on between the adherents of two
Bostonians, Dr. Charles Thomas Jackson
and DR.. William Thomas Green Morson.
and all the interest practically was CEN
tered in them. '-
The "other monument" on the public
garden has not had its title as an erec-
ton, in, of the great dis
covery Of painless surgery until this
action of the Georgians to elevate one
Of their number to ninche in Statuary
hall at the national capital brings the
question to the front.
A renewal of the contest is inevitable
If the design thus projected be carried
out with the nation indorsing 1t, and
Boston is bound to be heard from.
II has often been said that the honor
Of discovering the anesthetic properties
of sulphuric ether belongs to DR.. Nor
ton and the monument standing on the
public garden was provided by an adj
mlrer who took his side in the bitter
fight over half a century ago.
Dr. Morton was a dentist, who studied
chemistry in the laboratory of the famous
physician, surgeon and scientist, Dr.
Charles T. Jackson. 1t was here that he
first became acquainted with the proper
Ties OIL SulpnuTlC tlltI. TIC SAptAiAiNiAeSo
upon himself and was convinced that
very little or no danger followed inseisi-
biity due to It's use.
DR.. Morton administered 1t to one of his
patients and extracted a refractory tooth
without pain to the subject. Other sue
cessful practice followed, and he put
himself into communication with DR.. John
Collins Warren, who first publicly used it
in the fall of 1886 If the Massachusetts
General hospital upon difficult and I'M
der other circumstances, a painful, surgi-
cal operation.
DR.. Morton got out patents in the
United States and England. calling sui
phuric ether 'Letheon.
Then the trouble began. DR.. Jackson, in
whose laboratory 1t has been said Nor
ton first learned of the anesthetic prop
critics of sulphuric ether, and a DR.. Hor-
ace Wells of Hartford Conn, both claim
ed prior discovery.
DIR. John Collins Warren, equaled only
by DR.. Jacob Bigelow for worldwide re-
nown as the foremost of American medi-
cal men; George Ticknor Curtis Josiah
Dwight Whitney, all took up and welded
cudgels in the case of their favorite.