Publications Anesthesia
Tarnished Idol:
William Thomas Green Morton and the Introduction of Surgical Anesthesia. A Chronicle of the Ether Controversy.
Richard J. Wolfe
Out of Print
The first comprehensive biography of the life of W. T. G. Morton and his role in the introduction of surgical anesthesia and the controversy that ensued. Much of the information that is included has never before been published. Learn more »
Charles Thomas Jackson:
“The Head Behind The Hands.”
Applying Science To Implement Discovery And Invention In Early Nineteenth Century America
Richard J. Wolfe & Richard Patterson
$35.00
This is the first full-length study of Charles Thomas Jackson, one of the most remarkable and maligned figures in the history of American medicine and science. Jackson was a key figure in three notable scientific discoveries made in the United States before 1850: the discovery of surgical anesthesia, brought about with the dentist William T. G. Morton; the discovery of the American electromagnetic telegraph, made in association with the artist Samuel F. B. Morse; and the proving and commercial exploitation of the copper deposits in the state of Michigan. However, out of greed or resentment, those associating with Jackson in these discoveries claimed the honor of discovery for themselves while disparaging Jackson’s claims and painting him as unstable, paranoid and litigious—a reputation that persisted for over 150 years. Charles Thomas Jackson: “The Head behind the Hands” is the first book to come to Jackson’s defense. With the aid of new or long ignored and long forgotten documents and archival records, including printed literature, court records and previously unavailable manuscript sources, Wolfe and Patterson prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that Jackson was the hero and not the villain in all of these controversial and acrimonious affairs. Learn more »
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