Early history of the anaesthetic discovery, or, Painless surgical operations : with letters to and from Sir James Y. Simpson, Dr. Benjamin W. Richardson, and Dr. Henry Bennet : Boston versus Hartford / by Robert Hanham Collyer.

  • Collyer, Robert Hanham.
Date:
1877
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Early history of the anaesthetic discovery, or, Painless surgical operations : with letters to and from Sir James Y. Simpson, Dr. Benjamin W. Richardson, and Dr. Henry Bennet : Boston versus Hartford / by Robert Hanham Collyer. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The Royal College of Surgeons of England. The original may be consulted at The Royal College of Surgeons of England.

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    The criminal referred to, who imagined, when blindfolded, that he was bleeding to death when only a small stream of lukewarm water was running over his arms, had he not been previously acquainted with the fact that bleeding in this manner would produce death—no effect could have been made in his imagination. It is, therefore, impossible that Drs. Jackson and Morton could have had such a conversation relative to acting on the imagination of the lady, when they themselves were ignorant of the anaesthetic properties of ether and nitrous oxide at the time the conversation is stated to have taken place, that is, previous to September 30th, 1846. The concoction of such a storj, which admits of such positive refutation, is in accordance with “ their whole procedure in securing letters-patent, suppressing all acknowledgment of my publications and lectures. Mr. Charles James Fox, dentist, of Mortimer Street, had “ an imaginative case,” which occurred in the following manner:—A patient called on him to have a tooth extracted during the anoesthetic Btate by the inhalation of nitrous oxide gas. The patient inhaled, as he supposed the gas, and felt no pain whatever. Ou Mr. Fox examining the apparatus, the gas had not been turned on. Here was a case of the powerful effeot of the imagination, as both operator and patient were under the full conviction that the gs had been inhaled, f The same has occurred to Messrs. Moggridge and Davis, dentists, 143, Strand. CHARING-CROSS HOSPITAL. January 25th, 1877, 2 p.m, I have just seen a child of about six years rendered anaesthetic by the inhalation of chloroform, which was most ably administered. I was obliged to leave the operating theatre from the same cause which induced me to over-tympathite with the patient when a student. I was delighted to discover that my nature had not been blunted by time, and that all my sensitive feelings were as keen as in my more youthful days.
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