The ether discovery / [by Richard H. Dana, jr.].

  • Dana, Richard Henry, Jr., 1815-1882.
Date:
1848
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The ether discovery / [by Richard H. Dana, jr.]. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the Harvey Cushing/John Hay Whitney Medical Library at Yale University, through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the Harvey Cushing/John Hay Whitney Medical Library at Yale University.

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    more, the man asked where his tooth was, or if it was out. A. G. Tenny, Journal Office. G. G. Hayden, Surgeon Dentist. Boston, September 30, 1846. Dr. Morton took this certificate at the moment, and announced the result to all in his office. The next morning he called on Mr. Frost, and ascer- tained that no bad effects had followed. He then called on Dr. Jackson, told him the result, and requested from him a certificate that it could be safely administered, which Dr. Jackson declined giving. Knowing of Dr. Wells' failure, and the numerous impositions and failures in such cases, he probably set down a part to exaggeration and part to imagination, and thought but little of it. Mr. Barnes, his own witness, says that he told Dr. Morton, People will not believe in the insen- sibility to pain in case of a mere tooth, since it is very common for patients in an ordinary case to say that it did not hurt them, when the twitch is very sudden, and the operation skilfully performed ; this proof would not be regarded by the public as satisfactory. This is the proper explanation of Mr. Barnes' statement that Dr. Jackson ex- pressed no surprise; and not that Dr. Jackson foreknew all that would follow, and alone in the world was not surprised or excited by the result. Mr. Barnes says that Dr. Jackson advised Dr. Morton to try it at the hospital. But Dr. Mor- ton denies that Dr. Jackson suggested this, al- though it may have been alluded to between them, and Dr. Hayden's affidavit shows that Dr. Mor- ton had determined to do this before he went to Dr. Jackson. The subsequent conduct of Dr. Jackson is the best explanation of his then state of mind. He tried no experiment. He witnessed no experiment. No experiment was tried to his knowledge, or un- der his direction, although he thought the experi- ment on the tooth not satisfactory. Dr. Morton called on Dr. Warren, and induced him to allow it to be tried at the hospital. He did not name nor refer to, and was not authorized to refer to, Dr. Jackson, even on the point of its safety. Dr. Morton tried experiments every day, at his rooms, with various success. It got into the newspapers as Dr. Morton's discovery, and was not contradicted. On the 16th October, the first experiment was tried at the hospital; Dr. J. C. Warren performing the operation of cutting a tumor from the side of a man's neck. The next day, the experiment was repeated, when Dr. George Hayward removed a tumor from an arm, which was a severe, if not a capital operation. In both these, Dr. Morton alone conducted the experiment, and was alone respon- sible. The whole medical and scientific world, newspapers and the public mind, were in the high- est excitement. But Dr. Jackson did not appear at all in the business. Not a physician or surgeon at the hospital heard or suspected, then, that Dr. Jackson had any connection with the discovery. Although the hospital is within four minutes' walk of Dr. Jackson's house, and laboratory ; although he was personally acquainted, and had been so for years, with all the surgeons and physicians of the hospital, and was near neighbor to some of them, and met some one or other of them almost daily ; although Dr. Morton's office, where the dental ex- periments were going on, was even nearer to him than the hospital; yet he does not move from his laboratory even to see an experiment. He is a chemist and experimenter by occupation, a physi- cian, too, by education. The greatest discovery of the age was under test, in the next street. Lives were at stake. Humanity, ambition, everything there was to lead him to act. But he keeps entirely aloof. More than one witness, says the trus- tees' report, distinctly remembers that the ex- pression, ' I don't care what he does with it, if he does not drag my name in with it;' and others of similar import, were used by Dr. Jackson in rela- tion to Dr. Morton's early experiments in confir- mation and establishment of this discovery. Mr. R. H. Eddy, whose letter we shall give hereafter, says, I am fully persuaded that at this time [about Oct. 25th] Dr. Jackson thought the whole matter of little value or importance. The conversations I had with him led me to this belief. Mr. Francis Whitman, the witness whom Dr. Gay admits to be unimpeachable, says, After the first announcement of the discovery in the papers, I went to Dr. Jackson's, and he spoke to me of some notices in the papers ; but, immediately after, said he did not care how much Dr. M. advertised, if his own name was not drawn in with it. We look in vain for an explanation of this con- duct, in his pamphlet, or in anything that has come from him or his friends. The only explanation offered makes the case worse. It is said that, he refused his sanction, and kept away from the ex- periments, from want of confidence, in Dr. Morton's skill and prudence, and fear of his recklessness. But this comes with ill grace from Dr. Jackson, who founds his whole claim to the benefit of these experiments on Dr. Morton's being his agent, his mere servant, acting under his authority, and on his responsibility. (See Dr. Gay's pamphlet, pas- sim.) He had known Dr. Morton for years. Why did he select such an agent, and leave the whole thing entirely in his hands, if he thought him unfit and reckless'! why did he not break off the relation ? why did he not take the experiments into his own hands? why did he not, at least, appear and watch over these vital experiments, and give his aid and advice, to prevent danger and ensure success ? The fact is, no answer can be given. It is inexplicable, except upon the supposition, to which the trustees and surgeons of the hospital, and many of his personal friends, have come, and all must come, that he had not sufficient confidence in the thing itself to risk the connection of his name with it. That there may be no question that these facts, as to the experiments, are correctly stated, we re- fer to the trustees' report, Dr. J. C. Warren's work on etherization, Dr. Geo. Hayward's pam- phlet, Dr. J. Mason Warren's pamphlet, and Dr.