Anæsthesia, hospitalism, hermaphroditism and a proposal to stamp out small-pox and other contagious diseases / by Sir James Y. Simpson, Bart. ; edited by Sir W.G. Simpson, Bart.

  • James Young Simpson
Date:
1871
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Anæsthesia, hospitalism, hermaphroditism and a proposal to stamp out small-pox and other contagious diseases / by Sir James Y. Simpson, Bart. ; edited by Sir W.G. Simpson, Bart. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The University of Glasgow Library. The original may be consulted at The University of Glasgow Library.

    53/588 (page 37)
    the Vcapour of sulphuric ether an insensibility exactly like that pro- duced by the inlaalation of nitrous oxide gas, had been long previously known, and so on through its history/ Thirdly, I aUude to car- bonic acid as suggested by Dr. Hickman in 1828 3 fourthly, to nitrous oxide gas as hinted at by Davy in 1800 ; fifthly, to compression of the nerves as used by Dr. Moore in 1784 ; sixthly, to compression of the carotids as suggested by Valverdi and others in the sixteenth century ; seventhly, to the fumes and extracts of mandragora, Indian hemp, and other soporific drugs, as practised by mediaeval and ancient Eoman and Greek surgeons. Now comes your strong and strange accusation or accusations. For first you hold, as far as I understand you, that the article was written for my self-exaltation, or to quote your own words, in favour of the self-exaltation of the writer. Of any such object I know and feel myself to hava been utterly guiltless, either in this or any other of my writings. In the whole course of this long encyclo- ptedic article upon chloroform, if my object had been self-exalt- ation, I might not unjustly have connected my name vdth several of the original suggestions and practices stated in the article; but I have mentioned my name only once, and that in the brief historical sentence already quoted, and when (I appeal to yourself or any honourable man) such mention was utterly unavoidable for the sake of simple historical accuracy, aU such history inevitably involving an enumeration of names. But then comes your other accusation, that in enumerating the different methods of producing anaesthesia I have adduced chloro- form _y}?-s^, sulphuric ether second, carbonic acid third, nitrous oxide fourth, etc., to cover—to use your own reprehensible words— this inversion of historical order in favour of the self-exaltation of the writer . . . who availed himself of this opportunity prin- cipally to place himself conspicuously in the foreground. Believe me, I feel difficulty in commenting upon these criticisms ^ You underscore the expression used to a consideraMe extent, probably witli a view of indicating that that is doubtful; but such, I believe, was the fact here and elsewhere in the firat year of etherisation. In the JSdinburgh Medical Jmirnal for September 1847, 1 find it stated by me (p. 153) that, dm-ing the last six months etherisation has been used to a considerable extent in British surgery. The Editor of the same journal, in his December nmuber—cliloroform having been introduced in the interval—observes, In Edinburgh it (chloroform) has been used publicly by all the surgeons of the Koyal Infirmary [they had not all used ether], and its employment in midwifery piactice is almost universal. Ether, he adds, has almost boon abaudoncd (p. 450).