The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1910-01-18
TO HONOR
AMERICAN
PHYSICIAN.
ERECT MONUMENT TO
DISCOVERIES OF LAUGH
ING GAS
A DlSCREDlTED AND
MUCH MISTAKEN MAN
Man Who Stole Credit From
Or. Wells Met With
| Tragic End


in story filled with tears and JOY
and sadness and madness and death,
the hero being an American, ma
tive of Hartford, Conn, Is now near
ing fitting end here.
A monument is being erected in the
Square des Etats Unis, Avenue d'Iena
near the famous Champs -Elysees, in
memory OF DR.. Horace Wells, the dis
coverer of the practical use OF laugh
ing gas nitrous oxide) Discreditedd
at home and abroad, deceived by
friends, hooted at and jeered by stu
uents, the great man lost his reason
and at New York, in 184S committed
suicide
The monument now building here
viii be dedicated in March, but curl
icus mistake is being made by those
Americans and Frenchmen in charge
OF the work. ID is announced that
the dedication will be made in honor
OF the late Horace Wells, discover
or OF anesthesa." A3r
This is untrue. Though without
suggestion or aid from any one, Dr.
Wells discovered the anesthetic prop
felties of laughing gas and for his dis
ccycry deserves thc undying gratitude
Of mankind, it was Dr.. Crawford W.
Long, Of Jefferson, Ga, who is en-.
titled 10 the credit of making anethe-
4 sia known to the world, he perform
\ Ing an operation by the aid Of ether
lla 1912. IIr wells first used laugh
ing gas IN 1871 in tooth pulling.
Frst Painless Operation
Z Dr Long and his friends in The
country about Jefferson, Ga, used to
lnhale the fumes of sulphuric ether
for fun. The physician noticed that
they would fall about and hurt them
selves, though at the time no pain
was felt. One of these friends, James
4 Nenable, had two tumoIs on his neck
and. half fearfully, consented to al
/ low DR. Long to administer ether, 70
him while one of these was removed
/ Nenable said he felt not the slightes,
4 pain This look place March 80. lS4.
and besides the original entry on Dr
Longs account book tthe charged
81 for the operationl, four witnesses
saw the accomplishment of this first
painless sample Of surgery. The sec
4 ond tumor was removed later, in the
same way The ether was poured OF
a towel which was held i, the pa
tents nostrils and mouth.
On December II, 1914. DR.. Horace
Wells attended a lecture on chemistry
Nitrous oxide came in for its share
OF experiments A man. under its in
fmence. fell over bench and strucE
bis shin cruelty against it. After the
lecture pr Wells rushed up to him.
Are you huIt?" he exclaimed.
What do you mean?' the subject
asked
Why replied Wells, you struch
and sure enough, upon examining the
member 1t was found to be cut anC
bleeding.
Cave Doctor An Idea
!, This gave Wells, who was a dent
isl, his Idea The very next day he
had one of his own teeth extracted
u just TO see il it hurt 1t didn't. Their
| ke began himself to pull teeth will
the aid of the so-called laughing gas
or nitrous oxide. In Boston, the gas
was tried (1S45) in major surgery II
faileG. and Or. Wells was hooted ant
1hssed from the hall by the students
who were attending the lecture.
From this time on, DR.. Wells led {
cheerless existence. He came tC
France and here in Paris, close [,
The spot where the monument vii
stand completed, dedicated to hi
memory and his work. the institute
Of France refused to give him credi
for his discovery DR.. w. 4. o. Nor
ton, another dentist, and DR.. Charlie
T. Jackson, both of Boston, had pu
in their claim just before Wells al
|Iiiyed.
Drove Him Insane
Poor Wells at last went 10 Ney
York. There he became mentally dc
ranged and killed himself, dlsap
pointed, discredited laughed at, mucl
mistaken man.
DIR. Long himself had sad. but
nobler ending. He had moved L
Athens, Ga, and was called one nigh
to bring little being into the world
The operation Just Completed, th'
great man collapsed unconscious ll'
rcgained his senses after a moment
gave directions for the comfort Of th'
mother and babe, then PASSED away
Mortopy death was more tragic
he was unsuccessful in pushing hi
claims before congress at Washing
ton and in despair or what is mor'
probable, prompted, by an unhinge'
mind, he jumped into u lake Ill
died soon after, d few minutes allbsc
Eqnent to being found unconscious.
Jackson, If mistake not died in
|Imadhouse. He at any rate, lost hi
reason aud died raving maniac.
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