History of the discovery of anaesthesia / by J. Marion Sims.

  • Sims, J. Marion (James Marion), 1813-1883.
Date:
1879
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: History of the discovery of anaesthesia / by J. Marion Sims. 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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    priation he demanded for his discovery. They were so strong that Dr. Charles T. Jackson went to Athens, Georgia, expressly to see Dr. Long on the subject. In a communication to the Boston Medical and Surgical Journal, April 11th, 1861, Dr. Charles T, Jackson says he visited Dr. Long at Athens, Georgia, on March 8th, 1854, to examine into Dr. Long's claims to being the first to use sulphuric ether as an anassthetic in surgery, and he further says : From the documents shown me by Dr. Long, it appears that he employed sulphuric ether as an anaesthetic agent— First.—On March 30th, 1842, when he extirpated a small glandular tu- mor from the neck of James M. Venable, a boy [Mr. Venable was over 31 years old when the operation was performed.—J. M. S.] in Jefferson, Georgia, now dead. Seco/id.—On July 3d, 1842, in the amputation of the^toe of a negro boy belonging to Mrs. Hemphill, of Jackson, Georgia. Third.—On September 9th, 1843, in the extirpation of a tumor from ' the head of Mary Vincent, of Jackson, Georgia. Fourth.—On January 8th, 184.5, in the amputation of a finger of a negro boy belonging to Ralph Bailey, of Jackson, Georgia. Copies of the letters and depositions proving these operations with ether were all shown me by Dr. Long. He also referred me to physicians in Jefferson who knew of the opera- tions at the time. The above extract from Dr. Jackson's paper to the Boston Medical Jour- nal recognizes Long's claim to being the first to produce anaesthesia for surgical operations, but it does not tell the whole story of Dr. Jackson's visit to Dr. Long. Dr. Long has furnished me with all the. evidence, consisting of affida- vits, certificates, book entries, &c., that Ur. Jackson examined. He has also written me fully on the subject, and every fact that I have stated can be substantiated by documentary evidence. In one of Dr. Long's letters to me (Nov. 5, 1876), he says :— In 1854, Dr. Charles T. Jackson came to Georgia, and spent two days with me in Athens, most of the time in my office, examining books, ac- counts, dates and certificates establishing the time, &c., of my operations. He expressed himself satisfied with the correctness of my claim to the first use of ether as an anaesthetic in surgical operations. Dr. Jackson informed me that he would go from Athens to Dahlonega, Georgia, and as I knew he must pass through Jefferson, where I resided up to 1850, and where my first operations under ether were performed, I requested him to stop in Jefferson and see some of the physicians there who witnessed or knew of the operations, and also a number of the citizens of the village who either witnessed the operations or were familiar with them from common report. Dr. Jackson spent one or more days in Jefferson, and on his return, express himself satisfied with the testimony. '' In Dr. Jackson's communication to the Boston Medical and Surgical Journal (April 11th, 1861), he neglected to say anything of the informa- tion he obtained while in Jefferson, although he admitted to me on his re- turn that the evidence was perfectly satisfactory. The Hon. C. W. Andrews, of Madison, Georgia, informs me that he was in Dr. Long's employ and in his office when Dr. Jackson spent a whole day with Long in comparing notes and talking over the subject of etheriza- tion, and it seems that the real object of Dr. Jackson's visit to Dr. Long was to induce Long to unite with him in laying their conjoint claims before Congress as the real discoverers of ansesthesia as opposed to those of Morton. Jackson was willing to concede to Long the honor of being the first to use ether in surgical operations, but wished Long to concede to him