Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Horace Wells

Horace Wells discovered anaesthesia.

Unfortunately, the public unveiling of his discovery went badly.  He used an inadequate dose.  As the operation began, Wells' patient lay there screaming in front of the doctors assembled to see the new way to operate pain-free on patients.

Wells kept tinkering with his formulations.  He often used himself as the object of experiments.  Wells must have done this a few times too many.  He went nuts and eventually committed suicide.

Today he has a nice spot in Bushnell Park.

2 comments:

Life Is A Road Trip said...

Now that's a fascinating piece of history I have never heard about. I'm glad he kept trying!

gogouci said...

I, too, am glad for his persistence. He has earned his spot in the beautiful park.