Do you believe surgeries were that easy right from antiquity? Not really. There was a time when surgery was so fatal that for most patients surgery was not even the last resort. Most people would prefer to die instead of going through under the knife. However, the scenario changes completely thanks to a bunch of spoiled brats and their unusual quest to get high as hell. Their reckless behavior resulted in an accidental medical discovery that just changed the entire medical sector for good and for good.
Back then, there was no formal knowledge of antibiotics and post-operative care. Thinking about going under the knife itself was so nerve-shattering thoughts that quacks were highly regarded as “medical practitioners”. The “mystical powers” of these quacks were rather more desired than qualified medical school graduates. In society, the reason behind that ‘surgery phobia’ was the absence of anesthesia during surgery and absence of proper painkillers immediately after surgery. Especially during the recovery period was far more crucial due to lack of antibiotics. In such a chaotic environment a ground-breaking medical discovery literally changed the horizon of the surgery gradually.
Under such circumstances when even dying patients would run away from surgeons, then one American dentist was observing his bunch of addict friends’ reckless behavior very closely. His friends were using a certain type of ‘knock-out drug’ with alcohol just to get ‘high’. That knock-out drug was so powerful that, it was able to overpower the feeling of severe pain. That budding surgeon found that knock-out drug kind of intriguing. He decided to dig deeper into that unusual drug and its effectiveness.
Believe me, in the world of discoveries even bad friends, can become great influencers. That dentist started visiting more and more such aristocratic parties. He intended to observe the effect of that knock-out drug on his addicted friends (Not a bright example of an ‘ideal friend’ indeed!). He would encourage his friends to use that drug at different doses and then he would observe their behavior. Sometimes, he would even join them to measure how much of that drug was needed to conduct surgeries. After days of studies, he was confident enough about the right dose of that wonder drug. Then he first applied that chemical to a patient and painlessly removed one tooth.
Believe me, in the world of discoveries even bad friends, can become great influencers. That dentist started visiting more and more such aristocratic parties. He intended to observe the effect of that knock-out drug on his addicted friends (Not a bright example of an ‘ideal friend’ indeed!). He would encourage his friends to use that drug and then would observe their behavior. Sometimes, he would even join them to measure how much of that drug was needed to conduct surgeries.
The dentist approached surgeon John Collins Warren about the phenomenal pain-killing ability of that drug. After prolonged contemplation, the duo teamed up at Massachusetts General Hospital on October 16, 1846. Together, they paved the way for modern-day anesthesia technology by using a wonder drug called “Letheon”. They surgically removed a tumor from one of their colleague’s neck. Miraculously, he didn’t complain about pain during the surgery and the entire operating procedure was smooth.
Though later it was clear that Letheon was nothing but Ether. However, nobody ever bothered to mention the contribution of those bad friends. By the way, the name of that dentist was William Thomas Green Morton, the pioneer of modern Anesthesia. The miraculous medical discovery that just changed the healthcare sector forever for good and for good. However, William T.G. Morton never got the recognition he deserved. Rather, his brief 48 years of life were ridden by legal battles with fellow medical professionals.
Please visit our Stories of Invention section where you will find many such interesting stories of scientific discoveries.
