The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1902-04-27
men
OF The SOUTH
.Dr. Long, Of Georgia, Entitled to
Part Of Honor Of Discovery
Of AnBsthesia.

Of AnBsthesia.
In regard to the much disputed point
of who was the discoverer. OF anae5thesia,
Dr.. Crawford W. Long, Of Georgia, IS
| certainly entitled to a fair proport!ou
Of the honor. as he employed It IN ms
pra ctice as far back as 1872 seVeraA
| years in advance Of the other claimants
but unfortunately for his fame. he Zoe
iEg probably deficient in "push") did not
publish his discovery to the world Till
similar one had been announced py
others.
| In regard to anaesthesia, as with many
other great discoveries, it is difficult, II
| not impossible, to say who was the reai
discoverer, or the chief one. Ihe Same
idea often seems to break simultaneously
on the minds Of different individuals is IN
widely separated parts of the globe. ana
| this was conspicuously the case with
anaesthesia. In addition to four Arner1-
can claimants of this discovery, Flou-
| rens, OF Paris. showed the anaestnetic
effects of chloroform on animals N 1911,
and q. few months later Sir James Simp-z
son, Of Edinburgh. introduced it into
his; surgical practice. Horace Weils,
dentist Of Vermont Cs15-'4S) was one OF
| the chief discoverers OF anaesthesia- al
| though his pupil and partner, DR.. W. T.
G.. Morton (wllo got the idea from hl1n),
more generally obtains the credit or IL.
AS far back as 1910. Wells expressed the
idea that dental operations might be
| rendered painless by inhaling nitrous
oxide gas but he did not put this theory
| into execution until 1874. when he made
| his first experiment on himself by having
| a molar drawn whilst under the influence
Of that gas.
Morton did not use anaesthetlcs TIL
| iSle when he applied them both to dental
and surgical operations, but he was per-
ssladed by Dr. c.. T. Jackson to use sui
| phuric ether instead Of nitrous oxide He
and jackson published and patented their
discovery. which they called ''Letheon,
! but afterwards quarreled,s each claiming
| the sole honor Of the NLOntyon prize from
| the French Institute. Wells sailed TO
| Trance and put in his claims which were
| recognized by the Medical Society or
Paris, after three days discussion, but
! the cmbittercd controversies and great
! mental excitement he underwent upset
| his mind and he committed suicide III
j january 1913. DR.. Crawford Long pre-
coded Wells two years and Morton four
! In tho use of anaesthetics, but his lack
of push" caused him to take back
/ seat and lose the honor and glory OF the
! discovery Other scientific men Of the
i olden time paved the way. to the dis
/ covery in modern times. Priestly discov-
| cred nitrous oxide gas in 1890, and Dr.
! Humphrey Davy, IN his Researches
(1S00), proclaimed his belief that it could
i be used in surgery.
No American physician has made him
! self a more distinguished record for
science and skill than DR.. Marion Sims.
! of South Carolina. He was born III Ian
1 caster District, South Carolina, in 1878,
l and died in 1883. IIes was the peculiar
be,tefactor Of women having made {,
! special study of their diseases, and he
established in Montgomery, Ala, pri-
/ vatc hospital, which proved highly sue.
sCesSful. He removed to New York IN
1853 and urged the necessity of such
l hospital there, and had the satisfaction
4 OF seeing one opened in 1850. He had al
I ready invented the original speculum
and made improvements in surgery which
had given him an international fame.
i On his first visit to Europe his profess
i sIonal brethren showed their respect for
i him by asking him to perform some inn
i portant surgical operations. He resided
i some years in Paris, and in the Franco
4 sPrussian war. of 1870 he organized an
4 ambulance corps. His publications were
chiefly professional. and after his death
q volume entitled, ''rhe Story Of My
! Life" appeared, edited by his son.
DR.. Sims suggests to- our minds our
/ own able and distinguished surgeon, DR..
i Hunter MCGUIRE, Of Richmond, Va, who
1 was born in Winchester, Va, in 1855,
4 and died In 1900. He practiced first in
! Winchester, then for a short time in
Philadelphia, but at tho breaking out Of
the civil war returned to cast in his lot
4 with the South. He volunteered for ser
i vice in the Stonewall Brigade, and be-
4 came the surgeon and trusted friend Of
4 the great Jackson. He was with the
4 illustrious chief to the last; and there. is
no more interesting var paper extant
i than Mcclure ac 1unt OF he Last
i Hours of StoneWall Jackson After
4 holding the post Of medical director of
j the Army of tho Shenandoah Valley, Nc
i CURE held the same position in the Sc
4 5cond Army Corps. When the war was
j over he wentSto Richmond. penniless, to-
i start the world afresh. The community
sIssoon recognized his unusual abilities.
i and in a. few years he gained eminence
Land ali full practice. He was elected pro-
.lsfessors of surgery in the Virginia Medi-
Zeal College and filled numerous other
il positions Of honor and trust which. it
3 would require a long listyto cnumerate.
4 For instance, he was vice-president Of
4 the Internal ional Medical College IN 1876
and Of the American: Medical Association
II In 1881, and president fof the American
4 Sur ica1 Association in 1857. IN 1855 he
.Eorganized the College Of Physicians and
4 Surgeons In Richmond. att the request
Of many members OF the profession, and
lhe also organized st. Luke's Home for
the Sick. with a training school for
4 nurses. FIe# likewise assisted #the cause
Zoe medical gsclen resWi ths his pen. enntri-