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Ether Day: The Strange Tale of America's Greatest Medical Discovery and the Haunted Men Who Made It

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Who invented anesthesia? If you learned a name for this invention, it was probably William Thomas Green Morton. He turns out to be the most colorful and rascally character in the wonderful _Ether Day: The Strange Tale of America's Greatest Medical Discovery and the Haunted Men Who Made It_ (HarperCollins) by Julie M. Fenster, but he isn't the only one. The invention of anesthesia was one of the most divisive issues in medicine in the nineteenth century. Fenster has dug up an amazing story of the origin of the first great advance in modern medicine, and told it in a lively and dramatic fashion. Opium, alcohol, ice, Mesmerism, and even bleeding into a faint had been used to avoid the horrors of surgery on a conscious patient, with little success. Reliable anesthesia was the first great advance in modern medicine.

Nitrous oxide, laughing gas, used to be a party and theatrical intoxicant. After an exhibition of its use, Horace Wells, a dentist, realized it cut pain. He began to use it in dental extractions. Morton met Wells in 1842, after a youthful career of spectacularly defrauding creditors in various big cities, and decided to take up dentistry under Wells's tutelage. Morton later met Charles T. Jackson, a chemist, who maintained that he had suggested to Morton the use of ether for dental extractions. Morton was eventually invited to administer ether before a rapt audience at the Massachusetts General Hospital on 16 October 1846, which is known by historians of anesthesia as Ether Day. It went perfectly. Morton tried the shocking precedent of patenting ether, and when that didn't work, he spent his life petitioning Congress for a reward for his invention, an award opposed by Jackson and Wells.

Indeed, Morton got medals and fame for what he had done, but it never made him rich, and rich was what he wanted to be. Wells experimented with chloroform, which was an effective anesthetic but more dangerous than ether, and became addicted to it. He was arrested for throwing acid onto prostitutes while he was chloroformed, and killed himself in jail. Jackson never got the recognition he was sure he deserved for the invention of ether, which only compounded the bitterness he felt that he had also given Morse the idea for the telegraph. He spent the last seven years of his life in an asylum. None of the inventors got what he wanted. This is a complicated tale, wittily told. We have no one hero on which we can bestow the title "The Inventor of Anesthesia" (and Fenster reports a competing and prior claim by Dr. Crawford Long in Georgia, who used ether to removing a swelling on a patient's neck in 1842). It is a messy history, entertainingly told.

Surgical anesthesia was America's first great scientific gift to the world. Since ancient times, and throughout the history of Europe, surgery, however necessary, was an unimaginable nightmare. Even the simplest procedure understandably stirred intense dread. And almost any sugery could prove fatal because of pain and shock. Of necessity, surgeons had to work at lightning speed, amputating a limb or "cutting for the stone" in minutes.

All this changed in 1846, at Massachusetts General Hospital, when a young man named Gilbert Abbot underwent the first surgery using ether anesthesia. The surgeon was Dr. John C. Warren, whose position and reputation allowed him to take this radical step. The person administering the ether was an ambitious dentist, William Morton, one of the unlikely and ill-fated heroes of the ether story.

As Julie Fenster reveals the events that led to and followed from the inception of ether anesthesia, she deftly reveals the human foibles of the key participants: the high-living, risk-taking Morton, the idealistic Horace Wells, and the brilliant and arrogant Charles Jackson. Anesthesia was a great gift to mankind, but it proved the undoing of its flawed discovers.

It's a great story, well told and well worth reading.

Robert Adler
Author of Science Firsts: From the Creation of Science to the Science of Creation (Wiley, 2002).

Ms. Fenster has told a story that concerns almost every person on the planet and yet the average individual knows nothing about. I am talking about anaethesia. It was so interesting that I completed the book in 4.5 hours. Her thoughtful characterizations of the people involved in the discoveries was balanced perfectly with the historical content. This book helped me to see how such an enormous discovery affected the people at the time. It was the best work of medical history I have ever read. Thank you Ms. Fenster for such a thoughtful and insightful book on such a fascinating topic.

In "Ether Day", Julie Fenster provides a fast-paced analysis of the medical discovery and extensive background on the major players in the invention of inhalation anesthesia. It is well-written and her facts jive with my previous readings. She also gives some fascinating background on the shady character of William Morton's previous business and professional dealings. That said, I was constantly frustrated by Ms Fenster's omissions. Although I do not expect a popular work in science or technology to provide great detail, it should at least provide an acquaintance with the relevant science and (in this case) with patent law. Fenster's chemistry is very weak. She does briefly describe the preparation of nitrous oxide, but never explains why toxic impurities can be produced or why it initially was difficult to store and to administer consistently. These facts are important for her exposition of why nitrous oxide was supplanted by ether. Again, I was frustrated by Fenster's archaic term, "sulfuric ether", rather than just "ether" or (better) ethyl ether. Although she describes the preparation of nitrous oxide, she never discusses the ways of preparing ether, which would help readers understand why the old term was "sulfuric ether". The book only discusses inhalation anesthetics and does not clearly indicate that there are other categories of general anesthetics. A central theme of the story is how Charles Jackson, William Morton and Horace Wells competed against one another for the honor of priority in inventing inhalation anesthesia. Their difficulty seems to have been that joint contribution to the discovery was a concept none of them was willing to accept, although the joint patent application of Morton and Jackson and the opinion of the French Academy would seem to indicate that the concept of a joint discovery was current in those days. A better explanation of the inability of these individuals to accept such joint credit would help the reader. Finally, Charles Jackson's claim for priority rested on his claim that the concept of inhalation anesthesia was his. However, in patent law, it is incumbent on an inventor to reduce the invention to practice, something that Jackson himself did not do. Another unexplained fact is that the courts struck down the patent because it was not a new composition of matter. Today, however, "use" patents are considered valid. Was the law changed or did the courts change their view of "use" patents? Once again the reader would benefit from a more informed discussion of these issues.

What a fascinating read!

Years ago, I used to want to be an anesthesiologist... but then I lowered my sights to nursing school--but still with some intent of becoming an anesthetist. (anesthesiologist = doctor ; anesthetist = specially trained technician)

Eventually I decided that the medical field was NOT at all for me, yet I still have a strong interest in many things medical--including, certainly, anesthesia.

This book supports the old saying that life is stranger than fiction. The events leading to and following the discovery of the anesthetic qualities of nitrous oxide and sulfuric ether are quite boggling--one of which is the fact that people were having fun at `gas parties' and `ether frolics' for years while patients, without anesthesia, screamed in horror as a limb was amputated or a tumor cut from living, feeling tissue.

Morton, Wells, and Jackson's stories are sad ones, really... especially, in my opinion, Wells', for he seemed the best humanitarian of that lot. Morton was driven by greed, pure and simple. Jackson, perhaps something in between.

I try to pick up a nonfiction book now and then to add in with all the fiction I read, and this most recent bit of nonfiction indulgence was both fascinating and informative.

Ether Day, by Julie M. Fenster, is the story of three men and the discovery of anesthesia. This book is written exactly like a story, introducing you to the characters and leading you through their lives. The way it is written kept me interested throughout the entire book.

This book starts off with a story that really caught my attention. Fenster describes a patient undergoing surgery. She describes him as being in a huge amount of pain. She then goes on to say how right down the street there is a show occurring. The people on stage are using nitrous oxide to get high and to make people laugh. Little did anyone know this nitrous oxide, or laughing gas, could have helped this patient have a painless surgery.

Surgery before Ether was very painful. Fenster describes the patients as either "whimpering, raying, mumbling, moaning, cursing, wailing," and shouting. Think about this, back before this discovery the patient could feel, see and hear everything that was happening.

Ether was first administered to a patient undergoing surgery on October 16, 1846. This patient's name was Gilbert Abbott and he was to have a large growth cut from the side of his neck. William T. G. Morton had received an invitation by a physician at Mass General to come try out his "secret compound that promised painless surgery". The surgery and many more to follow were a huge success.

William Morton was not the only man to claim to be the discoverer of this gas. This book goes into detail about the controversy of the discovery of anesthesia. There were three men that insist that they were the first to discover this painkiller; they are William Morton, Horace Wells, and Charles Jackson. Following the discovery was a battle between these three men. The end result was that each man, basically, spiraled wildly out of control.

Fenster does a good job at telling all sides of the controversy. She was able to make the reader understand what the future was like for the three men involved and what they went through. What really hit me was her vivid descriptions of surgeries before this discovery because it made me realize how important it was.

Anesthesiology was the single greatest discovery in American Medicine which benefited humanity on a universal scale.
It was on a Friday, October 16th, 1846 at Mass General Hospital that one William Morton applied the mystery gas. He was not a doctor, nor did he understand exactly what he was doing to the hapless patient...
The patient lying quietly on the slab was dreading an exquisitely painful operation; a tumor was to be removed from his neck. He was to be the first to recieve a completely painfree operation.
The surgical theater was packed with surgeons and medical students up to the rafters....
Would this prove a huge scientific discovery or another humbug?
It was a huge success and the medical world plus humankind (and animals) would never have to suffer painful surgical intervention again!
Horace Wells and Charles Jackson also laid claim to the actual discovery of Nitrous Oxide, as explained on page 51.
The three men had equal vestitures of discovery of the analgesic properties of Nitrous, Ether, Choroform and other more modern anesthetics.
Unfortunately for them, their curosity of these inhalable substances led to their addictions to it for the rest of their natural lives.
Greed and the need to be recognized for this invention also consumed the minds of these young scientists.
They all died without any recompense for their amazing discovery,
which is the mother of all rip-offs if you asked me.
Their lives were completely enslaved to the powers of these vapors and the legalities tied to the discovery.
I bought this amazing little book because I am engaged in a gigantic debate with an anesthesiologist.
She doesn't think my psychiatric technician students should be allowed to witness certain surgeries in the OR that she works in. I am seeking all powerful stories and arguments to bolster my position...and this is my position...
any all all persons who are intelligent and brave enough to WANT to witness a surgery SHOULD be allowed to witness one.
It's a valuable learning experience that should be shared by as many willing parties in controlled conditions.
She is too elitist, because she values only the up and coming MDs. The hospital is not a residency medical center.
It's a nice community hospital with some good learning going on...why not share the knowledge and allow science to flow from the OR onto new students who would value this experience?
I learned alot about anesthesiology by reading this moderatly thin volume...it's a bargain, too.
For 97 cents, I expanded my mind, built an arsenal of great arguments pro-surgical theatrics and can challenge the minds of even the most preMadonna-ist of anesthesiologists!
Tell me --- Now, you go girl!
And just watch me....Off I go!

I spent half my time reading this book shaking my head. Even my husband asked what was wrong. It's simply incredible that even this far back in medical history, the mid-1800s, that an actual advance could cause as much trouble as it did. This story is about three men; one discovered the ability of certain chemicals to cause people to become oblivious to pain, one man found the best chemical and the right means to deliver it--but his reputation as a con artist proved to be his undoing for something he actually did right, and the last man was a doctor on the peripherary of all this who sought to claim more credit for something he had little to do with.

I thought I was cynical before, because of all the problems we are having with pharmaceutical companies placing profits above health, and physicians and researchers following suit...but apparently, this has been a problem for over a hundred and fifty years.

The major 'discoverer' of etherization as an anasthetic for surgery, Morton, actually followed through and experimented with the formulas to get the right amount to allow patients to sleep through horrific surgery such as amputation. However, Morton's previous life as a con artist and also his rush to place a patent on this technique for profit reasons, caused his discovery to backfire against him. Not only did he never receive recompense for his work in this area, even the military absconded and used his work during the Civil War. The poor man died in despair in his mid-40s, with little recognition paid until after his death.

None of the men received what they thought was their rightful due concerning ether use in surgery. One committed suicide, and the last man who was a very intelligent man ended up dying slowly in an insane asylum of most probably a stroke, that may have incapacitated his ability to speak, but not necessarily his memory or thinking abilites.

This is one of the worse case scenarios of the attempt to profit off of the pain of others. I felt remorse for all of these men and their families; yet at the same time, if they had handled it differently with less eagerness to make a profit or be the 'one' whose name was attached with etherization, maybe it would have worked out better.

Well-written and interesting book. It's amazing after 150 years we still don't understand how anasthetia (sic) works. I think it would be more helpful to designing specific methods for individuals if we did understand it more.

Karen Sadler,
Science Education

Hearing the news from a doctor in today's era is not quite as frightening as it once was. Try imagining having a leg or other limb amputated without being put to sleep. Just the thought of it sends chills down my spine. Julie M. Fenster is able to grab your attention right when you look at her novel's title, "Ether Day: The Strange Tale of America's Greatest Medical Discovery". It makes you wonder right away how anesthesia was developed and why the men who made such an amazing, world altering discovery could be considered haunted.

The novel begins with the general story of the first time Ether was allowed to be used in a medical operation. This took place on Friday, October 16, 1846 at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. The surgery was to be performed on Gilbert Abbot to remove a large growth removed from his neck. The Ether treatment was to be administered by William T.G. Morton, who was a young dentist at the time. The novel then proceeds to go back further in time to where the discovery began. Throughout, the trials and tribulations of attempting to bring a new scientific advancement into the light of excessive critics. The story is told a few times from the point of view from each character involved in the discovery of Ether, each one trying to stake their claim on the fame of being the actual discoverer of such a miracle drug. With the story of each character, the story continued further on. Throughout the greedy, self-centered nature of all human beings, even those we may consider to be medical geniuses shone through in their actions. The men were willing to do anything to claim themselves as the inventors of anesthesia that they even went to such lengths as committing crimes in order to fund their discovery.

This book was also very informative in the processes it takes in order to make a scientific discovery of this magnitude. The men involved were forced to jeopardize all that they had, including their lives, and reputations as prominent figures in the medical world. They sacrificed everything that they stood for and this pressure eventually ruined their lives and led to each of their deaths.

Prior to reading this novel, I had not even an inkling of an idea as to how the medicine was discovered that made me able to bear the pain of having my appendix removed, nor had I given it much thought. With it's local ties to Mass General hospital and the operating theater that I have actually visited, this book was very enthralling. It caught my attention right from the beginning and held it up until the very end. I highly recommend this novel to the avid intellectual or even the semi-interested student, for it is full of surprises, twists, and turns that you will never see coming.

Ether Day is the tragic story of "America's greatest medical discovery." It follows the long and difficult road to finding a form of anesthesia. Set in the mid 19th century, it is not simply a book of dates and facts but a creative story. Fenster brings the characters to life and creates a world of science that can be easily understood. The book flows because it is suspenseful and intriguing.

The book starts off with a sad short story that immediately grabs your attention. There is a very painful operation taking place without anesthetics, and in another building close by a phenomenon known as "laughing gas" is being demonstrated to a crowd of people. Little did they know at the time that this "laughing gas" was a form of anesthesia that could've helped the patient during the operation.

Before I read this book, I had no knowledge of how anesthetics came to be. I guess it was something I always took for granted and never questioned how life would be without it. The only complaint I have of the book are the descriptions of operations without anesthetics. However, I think those graphic descriptions were necessary to make the story more effective and meaningful. You should only skim through those parts if you have a weak stomach.

This book made me appreciate science more and it also made me realize how lucky we are. These men sacrificed their careers and reputations to find something to that would save a lot of people from pain or death. Something many people take for granted was given value and I truly appreciate the use of anesthetics now.