NINETEENTH-CENTURY MEDICINE 



greater immediate importance to humanity than any 

 other discovery that had come in the century, perhaps 

 in any field of science whatever. This was the discov- 

 ery of the pain-dispelling power of the vapor of sul- 

 phuric ether inhaled by a patient undergoing a surgical 

 operation. This discovery came solely out of America, 

 and it stands curiously isolated, since apparently no 

 minds in any other country were trending towards it 

 even vaguely. Davy, in England, had indeed origi- 

 nated the method of medication by inhalation, and 

 carried out some most interesting experiments fifty 

 years earlier, and it was doubtless his experiments 

 with nitrous oxide gas that gave the clew to one of the 

 American investigators; but this was the sole contri- 

 bution of preceding generations to the subject, and 

 since the beginning of the century, when Davy turned 

 his attention to other matters, no one had made the 

 slightest advance along the same line until an Amer- 

 ican dentist renewed the investigation. 



In view of the sequel, Davy's experiments merit full 

 attention. Here is his own account of them, as written 

 in 1799: 



" Immediately after a journey of one hundred and 

 twenty-six miles, in which I had no sleep the preceding 

 night, being much exhausted, I respired seven quarts 

 of nitrous oxide gas for near three minutes. It pro- 

 duced the usual pleasurable effects and slight muscular 

 motion. I continued exhilarated for some minutes 

 afterwards, but in half an hour found myself neither 

 more nor less exhausted than before the experiment. I 

 had a great propensity to sleep. 



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