Evening star., 1942-03-30
South Honors Doctor
Who Discovered Use
Of Ether in Surgery
Georeiun's Find Resulted
From Watching 'Binges' on
Corn Liquor Substitute
BY STEPHEN J. McDONOUGH.

His work and that Of DR.. w. T. G.
Morton Of Boston, made major oper-
ations possible, and surgeons were
able to operate without the aid Of
several husky men to hold the pa
tient on the table.
The Georgia physicians discovery
was not an accident. AS young
country doctor In 1910 he heard
about "ether frolics" in Athens,
Jefferson and other Georgia towns.
Many yound men and women were
substituting ether for corn liquor to
get drunk. They took few whiffs,
began to laugh uproariously. and
finally passed out.
Several Cities to Pay Tribute.
DR.. Long, in whose honor several
celebrations will be held through
out the South, observed these ether
binges with more than ordinary
interest.
He first went around. pulled pin
out of his coat lapel and jabbed it
into the sleeping persons. They
didn't even quiver or say "ouch."
Still not satisfied, he made guinea
pigs out of himself and three other
young men.
When he woke up his friends were
still unconscious and no kicking,
pinching or shaking would wake
them up.
This may be the answer to pain
less surgery" he told the druggist
who had furnished the ether, and
he proceeded to use it.
A small negro boy whose name'is
unknown should 60 down In history
along with that OF Alexis st. Martin,
the Canadian trapper whose "stom-
ach window" enabled DR.. William
Beaumont Of the United States
Army to establish the first prin-
ciples of human nutrition.
This boy had two badly burned
fingers and DR.. Long made him
in surgery.
Condemned by Community.
Both fingers had to be amputated.
He cut off one while the boy howled
in anguish. Then DR.. Long gave
him several deep breaths of ether.
The boy went quietly to sleep and
did not even twitch a muscle as the
second finger was cut of.
The Georgia surgeon told about it
among his friends and he soon be-
came known as the first painless
surgeon. On March 30, 1912, he
demonstrated his method, which
he had been using regularly in his
private practice The result was
condemnation by the entire COM
munity-
He Immediately slipped from =
position as a talented and respected
physician to one of the most dis
liked men and his practice dwindled.
Man was made to suffer pain, his
associates and friends told him, and
any one who contravened that idea
was an agent OF the devil. 1t did no
good for DR.. Long to point out the
Biblical quotation that when God
removed Adams rib he first put him
into a deep sleep. He was still
shouldered of the sidewalk and his
wife was dropped from the sewing
circles and other women's organiza-
tions.
DR.. Long finally had to let 1t be
known that he was no longer prac-
ticing the BLACK art" Of anesthesia
and his patients began to return.
But his record shows that he wept
every time he had to perform an
operation and strap the patient to
the table when he knew he could
make his incisions and explorations
painlessly.
Discovery Never Publicized.
Because Of the sidewalk gossip
and social ostracism, DR.. Long never
reported his discovery In . medical
journal and thus it was lost until
DR.. Morton, Boston dentist, dem
onstrated the value OF ether as an
anesthetic at the Boston City Hos
pital in 1886.
DR.. Morton gave ether to young
woman about to undergo leg amp
utation and the result was one Of
the most dramatic moments In med
ical history. When she awakened
he asked if she was ready for the
operation. She replied, Eyes, doc
tor" whereupon the surgeon, DR..
John Warren, professor Of surgery
at Harvard University, showed her
the severed leg and said, "it is all
done"
A controversy still RACES over
whether DR.. Long or DR.. Morton
should be credited with today's pain
less surgery. DR.. Longs personal
notes show, however, that he had
been using ether for several years
before DR.. Norton demonstrated 1t.
Had it not been for public apathy
and professional jealousy among
other doctors in his community, 1t
would have been given to the world
many years sooner.