The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1911-12-02

his first operation with ether, accident
ally inhaled. during a chemical cxpcrI.
rncnt some chlorine gas. which caused
severe pain In the throat The pain
was relieved by the inhalation OF
! ether. This treatment of Chlorine in
haiation was not new, but had been
known for years. About year after
this he suggested to some medical
friends the possible use of ether rs n
general anaesthctic In surgery. but he
ala not try II himself and no notice
was taken of the suggestion During
this time Long was continuing his
operations with ether.
DR.. Horace Wells. n dentist. OF Hart
ford. Connecticut, In 1874 (two and a
naif years after Longs discovery.
iirst used nitrous oxide gas (lauEh.
ing gas in painlessly extra citing
teeth. trying II first upon himself and
then upon his patients. (Ie had In
1870 thought OF this. but did not try
IT'D In lsi5 be communicated his dis
covery to Drs. Morton (his former
partner), Warren Jackson and Hay
ward, and extracted q tooth without
pain before the Harvard Medical
school. In the meantime Long was
going on with his operations with
ether.
DIR. W. T. G. Morton. dentist Of
u.
seeing man. while i'll n frollc under
the cXhilaratinE influence OF ether
(Which was then n common mode of
entertainment on tho public STACEY.
sprain his ankle without pain. at III.
suggestion of Jackson. used ether in
painlessly extracting n tooth. fThIs
was four and half years after Longs
discoVeryD He soon repeated the
operation and made known MS results
r L
10 administer ether to n patient in
the assachusctts General Hospital in
BOSTON, from whose Jaw Warren main
leSsly removed tumor.
Morton at once wrote and published
"A paper upon his experiments and oh
tanned patent from the United states
government for the use OF ether in
surgery, but against the rcmonstrancc
OF Wells. In 1916 jackson also claim
ed the honor of the discovery OF sur
sicai naesthesa, and the French
academy of Sciences awarded n prize
Jointly to Morton and Jackson. which
however. Morton declined. as he claim
ed the exclusive honor. Morton also
Claimed compensation from Congress.
as the United States army had begun
to use his alleged Invention"
Morton had n bill introduced into
Congress to appropriate 500, 900 to nav
jackson and the heirs of Wells (who
had died) Immediately put forward
their claims This was the beginning
OF the ether controversy" which rag
ed in Congress for years. It was only
after the controversy had been going
on for several years that the friends
of Long prevailed upon him to bring
forward his claims. This he did in
1892, and published paper upon the
subject OF his discovery.
jackson at once visited Long. in
vestigated his claims and then with
drew from the contest in favor OF
Long, and published a paper in sup
port of tho latter The matter was
held up in Congress- but Long refused
to press his advantage before that
body. desiring no pecunihry compcn-
sation. but only recognition of his
claims by the profession. No definite
action was ever taken by Congress-
Longs work was unknown to the
world Mt large until 1877 when DR.. ].
Marion Sims. OF New York. also investi-
gated his claims. was fully convinced
of their merit and published the above
mentioned paper vigorously demand
ing their recognition by the medical
profession.
Soon after the publication OF Dr.
Sims's paper letters began to pour in
to DR.. Long from distinguished
physicians and surgeons all over the
world, recognizing his claims and ex-
tending their congra tulations. and his
declining years were made happy by
the. consciousness that he had ut last
COME into his own. He died OF apo
plexy in Athens, Georgia. In 1878, at
the age of s!Xty-two. He was stricken
at the bedside of a patient and died
the next day.
Eclectic Medical Association passed de-
crees in his favor, and statue was
erected in his hoeor In Paris. France.
The medical profession of Georgia
have recently unveiled Il monument to
his memory in; Athens. Georgia, and
his native state wifi place his statue In
Statuary Hall, in Washington, D. G..
. f.. = 49,,