On October 16, 1846, the operating theatre at Massachusetts General Hospital witnessed a historic demonstration where John Collins Warren painlessly removed a tumour from the neck of Edward Gilbert Abbott. This event, facilitated by the administration of ether by William T. G. Morton, marked a pivotal shift in the history of surgery and the management of physical pain.
Early Career and Training
Born in 1819 in Charlton, Massachusetts, to James and Rebecca Morton, William T. G. Morton initially worked as a printer and salesman in Boston. In 1840, he enrolled at the Baltimore College of Dental Surgery. By 1841, he had developed a method for soldering false teeth onto gold plates. He subsequently trained in Hartford, Connecticut, under Horace Wells and Dr. Nathan Cooley Keep. In 1843, he married Elizabeth Whitman. Following a promise to study medicine, he entered Harvard Medical School in 1844, where he attended lectures by Charles T. Jackson, who introduced him to the anesthetic properties of ether.
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Morton conducted a successful, painless tooth extraction on September 30, 1846, using ether on Ebenezer Hopkins Frost. Following this, surgeon Henry Jacob Bigelow arranged the demonstration at the Massachusetts General Hospital. To protect his discovery, Morton attempted to patent the substance under the name Letheon. This move triggered widespread condemnation from the medical community, which viewed the patent as incompatible with a humanitarian profession. Disputes over priority quickly emerged, involving his former partner Horace Wells and Charles T. Jackson, complicating Morton's claims to credit and profit.
Legal Struggles and Public Service
Between 1846 and 1853, Morton made several unsuccessful applications to the United States Congress for financial compensation, totaling $100,000. These efforts remained fruitless due to the conflicting claims of Jackson and Wells. He later attempted to sue the United States government with the assistance of lawyer Richard Henry Dana Jr. In 1862, Morton served as a volunteer surgeon with the Army of the Potomac, administering ether to over two thousand soldiers during the battles of Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, and the Wilderness.
Final Years
In July 1868, while in New York City, Morton suffered a fatal stroke. His death followed an incident in Central Park where, experiencing the effects of the stroke, he entered a lake. He was transported to St. Luke's hospital, where he died. He is buried at Mount Auburn Cemetery. In 1871, a committee published The Historical Memoranda Relative to the Discovery of Etherization to officially advocate for his recognition as the discoverer of anesthetic inhalation.
Fast facts
- Born: 1819, Charlton, Massachusetts
- Died: 1868, New York City
- Education: Harvard Medical School
- Primary Field: Anaesthesiology
- Spouse: Elizabeth Whitman
- Key Military Service: Army of the Potomac, 1862
- Burial Site: Mount Auburn Cemetery
Questions readers ask
Did William T. G. Morton receive the compensation he requested from Congress?
No. Despite multiple applications in 1846, 1849, 1851, and 1853, he never received the requested funds due to competing claims from other doctors.
What was the Ether Dome?
It was the operating theatre at the Massachusetts General Hospital where the first public demonstration of painless surgery using ether took place in 1846.
Achievements
- Fields: anaesthesiology
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