按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！
lung to rather than renounced。 But the outcry of the antediluvians of both hospital and pulpit quickly received its quietus； for soon it was clear that the patient who did not suffer the shock of pain during an operation rallied better than the one who did so suffer； while all humanity outside the pulpit cried shame to the spirit that would doom mankind to suffer needless agony。 And so within a few months after that initial operation at the Boston Hospital in 1846； ether had made good its conquest of pain throughout the civilized world。 Only by the most active use of the imagination can we of this present day realize the full meaning of that victory。
It remains to be added that in the subsequent bickerings over the discoverysuch bickerings as follow every great advancetwo other names came into prominent notice as sharers in the glory of the new method。 Both these were Americansthe one； Dr。 Charles T。 Jackson； of Boston； the other； Dr。 Crawford W。 Long； of Alabama。 As to Dr。 Jackson； it is sufficient to say that he seems to have had some vague inkling of the peculiar properties of ether before Morton's discovery。 He even suggested the use of this drug to Morton； not knowing that Morton had already tried it； but this is the full measure of his association with the discovery。 Hence it is clear that Jackson's claim to equal share with Morton in the discovery was unwarranted； not to say absurd。
Dr。 Long's association with the matter was far different and altogether honorable。 By one of those coincidences so common in the history of discovery； he was experimenting with ether as a pain…destroyer simultaneously with Morton； though neither so much as knew of the existence of the other。 While a medical student he had once inhaled ether for the intoxicant effects； as other medical students were wont to do； and when partially under influence of the drug he had noticed that a chance blow to his shins was painless。 This gave him the idea that ether might be used in surgical operations； and in subsequent years； in the course of his practice in a small Georgia town； he put the idea into successful execution。 There appears to be no doubt whatever that he performed successful minor operations under ether some two or three years before Morton's final demonstration； hence that the merit of first using the drug； or indeed any drug； in this way belongs to him。 But； unfortunately； Dr。 Long did not quite trust the evidence of his own experiments。 Just at that time the medical journals were full of accounts of experiments in which painless operations were said to be performed through practice of hypnotism； and Dr。 Long feared that his own success might be due to an incidental hypnotic influence rather than to the drug。 Hence he delayed announcing his apparent discovery until he should have opportunity for further testsand opportunities did not come every day to the country practitioner。 And while he waited； Morton anticipated him； and the discovery was made known to the world without his aid。 It was a true scientific caution that actuated Dr。 Long to this delay； but the caution cost him the credit； which might otherwise have been his； of giving to the world one of the greatest blessingsdare we not； perhaps； say the very greatest？that science has ever conferred upon humanity。
A few months after the use of ether became general； the Scotch surgeon Sir J。 Y。 Simpson＇6＇ discovered that another drug； chloroform； could be administered with similar effects； that it would； indeed； in many cases produce anaesthesia more advantageously even than ether。 From that day till this surgeons have been more or less divided in opinion as to the relative merits of the two drugs； but this fact； of course； has no bearing whatever upon the merit of the first discovery of the method of anaesthesia。 Even had some other drug subsequently quite banished ether； the honor of the discovery of the beneficent method of anaesthesia would have been in no wise invalidated。 And despite all cavillings； it is unequivocally established that the man who gave that method to the world was William T。 G。 Morton。
PASTEUR AND THE GERM THEORY OF DISEASE
The discovery of the anaesthetic power of drugs was destined presently； in addition to its direct beneficences； to aid greatly in the progress of scientific medicine； by facilitating those experimental studies of animals from which； before the day of anaesthesia； many humane physicians were withheld； and which in recent years have led to discoveries of such inestimable value to humanity。 But for the moment this possibility was quite overshadowed by the direct benefits of anaesthesia； and the long strides that were taken in scientific medicine during the first fifteen years after Morton's discovery were mainly independent of such aid。 These steps were taken； indeed； in a field that at first glance might seem to have a very slight connection with medicine。 Moreover； the chief worker in the field was not himself a physician。 He was a chemist； and the work in which he was now engaged was the study of alcoholic fermentation in vinous liquors。 Yet these studies paved the way for the most important advances that medicine has made in any century towards the plane of true science； and to this man more than to any other single individualit might almost be said more than to all other individualswas due this wonderful advance。 It is almost superfluous to add that the name of this marvellous chemist was Louis Pasteur。
The studies of fermentation which Pasteur entered upon in 1854 were aimed at the solution of a controversy that had been waging in the scientific world with varying degrees of activity for a quarter of a century。 Back in the thirties； in the day of the early enthusiasm over the perfected microscope； there had arisen a new interest in the minute forms of life which Leeuwenhoek and some of the other early workers with the lens had first described； and which now were shown to be of almost universal prevalence。 These minute organisms had been studied more or less by a host of observers； but in particular by the Frenchman Cagniard Latour and the German of cell…theory fame； Theodor Schwann。 These men； working independently； had reached the conclusion； about 1837； that the micro…organisms play a vastly more important role in the economy of nature than any one previously had supposed。 They held； for example； that the minute specks which largely make up the substance of yeast are living vegetable organisms； and that the growth of these organisms is the cause of the important and familiar process of fermentation。 They even came to hold； at least tentatively； the opinion that the somewhat similar micro…organisms to be found in all putrefying matter； animal or vegetable； had a causal relation to the process of putrefaction。
This view； particularly as to the nature of putrefaction； was expressed even more outspokenly a little later by the French botanist Turpin。 Views so supported naturally gained a following； it was equally natural that so radical an innovation should be antagonized。 In this case it chanced that one of the most dominating scientific minds of the time； that of Liebig； took a firm and aggressive stand against the new doctrine。 In 1839 he promulgated his famous doctrine of fermentation； in which he stood out firmly against any 〃vitalistic〃 explanation of the phenomena； alleging that the presence of micro…organisms in fermenting and putrefying substances was merely incidental； and in no sense causal。 This opinion of the great German chemist was in a measure substantiated by experiments of his compatriot Helmholtz； whose earlier experiments confirmed； but later ones contradicted； the observations of Schwann； and this combined authority gave the vitalistic conception a blow from which it had not rallied at the time when Pasteur entered the field。 Indeed； it was currently regarded as settled that the early students of the subject had vastly over…estimated the importance of micro…organisms。
And so it came as a new revelation to the generality of scientists of the time； when； in 1857 and the succeeding half…decade； Pasteur published the results of his researches； in which the question had been put to a series of altogether new tests； and brought to unequivocal demonstration。
He proved that the micro…organisms do all that his most imaginative predecessors had suspected； and more。 Without them； he proved； there would be no fermentation； no putrefactionno decay of any tissues； except by the slow process of oxidation。 It is the microscopic yeast…plant which； by seizing on certain atoms of the molecule； liberates the remaining atoms in the form of carbonic…acid and alcohol； thus effecting fermentation； it is another microscopic planta bacterium； as Devaine had christened itwhich in a similar way effects the destruction of organic molecules； producing the condition which we call putrefaction。 Pasteur showed； to the amazement of biologists； that there are certain forms of these bacteria which secure the oxygen which all organic life requires； not from the air； but by breaking up unstable molecules in which oxygen is combined； that putrefaction； in short； has its foundation in the activities of these so…called anaerobic bacter