Circular : Morton's lethēon.

  • Morton, W. T. G. (William Thomas Green), 1819-1868.
Date:
[1846]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Circular : Morton's lethēon. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the National Library of Medicine (U.S.), through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the National Library of Medicine (U.S.)

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    and began a dissection among important nerves and blood-vessels, without any expression of pain on the part of the patient. Soon after, he began to speak incoherently, and appeared to be in an agitated state during the remainder of the operation. Being asked immediately afterwards whether he had suffered much, he said that he had felt as if his neck had been scratched ; but subsequently, when inquired of by me, his statement was, that he did not experience pain at the time, although aware that the oper- ation wa3 proceeding. The effect of the gaseous inhalation in neutralizing the sentient faculty, was made perfectly distinct to my mind by this experiment, although the patient during a part of its prosecution exhibited appearances indicative of suffering. Dr. Morton had apprized me, that the influence of his appli- cation would last but a few minutes after its intermission ; and as the op- eration was necessarily protracted, I was not disappointed that its success was only partial. On the following day, October 18th, an operation was done by Dr. Hayward, on a tumor of the arm, in a female patient at the Hospital. The respiration of the gas was in this case continued during the whole of the operation. There was no exhibition of pain, excepting some occa- sional groans during its last stage, which she subsequently stated to have arisen from a disagreeable dream. Noticing the pulse in this patient be- fore and after the operation, I found it to have risen from 80 to 120. Two or three days after these occurrences, on meeting with Dr. Charles T. Jackson, distinguished for his philosophical spirit of inquiry, as well as for his geological and chemical science, this gentleman informed me that he first suggested to Dr. Morton the inspiration of ether, as a means of preventing the pain of operations on the teeth. He did not claim the invention of the apparatus, nor its practical application; for these we are indebted to Dr. Morton. The success of this process in the prevention of pain for a certain period being quite established, I at once conceived it to be my duty to introduce the apparatus into the practice of the Hospital, but was immediately arrested by learning that the proprietor intended to obtain an exclusive patent for its use. It now became a question, whether, in accordance with that elevated principle long since introduced into the medical profes- sion, which forbids its members to conceal any useful discovery, we could continue to encourage an application we were not allowed to use ourselves, and of the components of which we were ignorant. On discussing this matter with Dr. Hayward, my colleague in the Hospital, we came to the conclusion, that we were not justified in encouraging the further use of this new invention, until we were better satisfied on these points. Dr. Hayward thereupon had a conversation with Dr. Morton, in consequence of which Dr. M. addressed to me a letter. In this he declared his wil- lingness to make known to us the article employed, and to supply assist- ance to administer the inhalation whenever called upon. These stipula- tions he has complied with. This being done, we thought ourselves justified in inviting Dr. Morton to continue his experiments at the Hospital, and elsewhere ; and he, di- rectly after, Nov. 7th, attended at a painful and protracted operation per- formed by me, of the excision of a portion of the lower jaw, in which the patient's sufferings were greatly mitigated. On the same day, an ampu- tation of the thigh of a young woman was performed, at the Hospital, by Dr. Hayward. In this case, the respiration of the ethereal vapor ap- peared to be entirely successful in preventing the pain of the operation ; the patient stating, afterwards, that she did not know that any thing had been done to her.