Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1924-07-15
In Justice to Georgia
BY HARRY ,STILLWELL EDWARDS

The Journal of Thursday published an
interesting letter from Miss Elizabeth H.
Hanna, general chairman of Committee on
Southern Literature and Endorsement of
textbooks, which included strong protest
against the use of certain history by Will
bur F. Gordy in the public schools of At
lanta because of certain alleged statements
therein not historically true Among these
is the credit to Horace Wells, of Hartford,
Connecticut, of the discovery of ether as an
anaesthetic.
The story Of the discovery Of ether and
its first use in surgery has been told over
and over and proofs. furnished that in the
town of Jefferson, Georgia, DR.. Crawford
Williamson Long extirpated a tumor from
the neck of James M. Venable, a, we'll
known citizen March 30th, 1912, after
administering sulphuric ether, and that~the
patient insensible to pain during the
operation; that June 9Th of the same
year he repeated the operation for second
! tumor on the same patient with like re-
suit; that he amputated. the toe of a negro
in july of the same year. These operations
were two years in advance of Morton, of
Massachusetts, who claimed the honor of
discovering ether as an anaesthetic. 1t has
been further shown by indisputable proof
! that the discovery came to both Wells and
Morton through DR.. Charles t. Jackson, who
obtained the secret from DR.. Long, and who
later renowned all claims to tho discovery
| in favor of Dr. Long.
Lest the use Of the word "secret'' convey
a wrong impression, I hasten to add that Dr..
! Long made secret of his discovery. 1t
was public property all over north Georgia
and intimately known in Athens and Jeffef-
son in 1912. Dr. Longs statement before
the Georgia Medical and Surgical association
| i'll 1858 gives the details of his first cases
and explains why no major operation was
performed
"The first person to who mi administered
| OF Tor in wa
M. Venable, who then resided within two
miles of Jefferson and at the present time in
Cobb county, Georgia Mr.. Venabe con-
suited me on several occasions as to the pro-
priety of removing two small tumors on the
back part of his neck, but would postpone
from time to time having the operation per-
formed from dread of pain. At length l
mentioned to him the fact of my Teceivin g
bruises while under the influence of the
vapor of ether, without suffering, and, as l
knew him to be fond of and accustomed to
/ inhale ether, 1 suggested to him the proba-
! biIity that the operation might be performed
without pain and suggested to him operatin g
while he was under its influence. He con-
scented to have one tumOr removed and the
operation was performed the same evening.
The ether was given to Mr.. Venable on a
towel and when fully under its influence, I
extirpated the tumor. 1t was encysted and
about one-haf an inch in diameter. The
patient continued to inhale ether during the
| time of the operation and seemed incredu-
! Ious until the tumor was shown to him. He
gave evidence of pain during the opera
ton, and assured me after it was over that
he did not experience the least degree of pain
from its performance.
THE second operation I performed on a
patient etherized was on the 9Th of June,
1912 and was on the same person, for the
removal of the other small tumor. This OPP
Grafton required more time than the first
from the cyst of the tumor having formed
adhesions to the adjoining parts The pa
j tient was insensibe to pain during the opera
| ton until the last attachment of the cyst of
! the tumor was separated, when he exhibited
/ signs of slight suffering--b asserted, after
| the operation over, that the sensation of
pain was slight as scarcely to be perceived
In this operation the inhalation of ether