The story and tragedy of Horace Wells

On the night of December 10, 1844 a Hartford dentist named Horace Wells brought his wife, Elizabeth, to a laughing gas show.  This laughing gas show was performed by gardener Quincy Colton who at the time was traveling New England giving demonstrations on the effects of nitrous oxide.

The show was supposed to be entertainment as subjects would walk around stage recklessly because they were under the influence of nitrous oxide. Over the course of the show one of the "gassed" volunteers hit his leg against a wooden settee. Since he was under the influence of this nitrous oxide gas, he noticed that he felt no pain until the gas effects wore off. Wells saw the importance of this and following the show he asked Colton to try out the nitrous oxide to a teeth pulling.    When they reconvened at Wells office, one of Wells' colleagues pulled a tooth of Wells while he was under the influence of Nitrous oxide. Following the molar extraction Wells awoke from his sleep under Nitrous Oxide to exclaim, "Ah, a new era in too pulling."  Little did Wells know that he had not only discovered anesthesia for dentistry but for all medicine as well.

Over the next month Wells developed an anesthesia protocol more effectively and had extracted over 15 different patients teeth using Nitrous Oxide.    After becoming more confident with his discovery, Wells decided in February 1845 to go to Boston and present his findings. In Boston Wells met up with William T.G. Morton, a former apprentice of his now turned physician.  Morton help set up a lecture for Wells at Massachusetts General Hospital. After several days of preparing the lecture, the medical class was to watch Wells perform a teeth pulling for a student volunteer. The tragedy that ensued was described by Wells in the Hartford current on Dec. 9, 1846:

   "A large number of students, with several physicians, met to see the operation performed-one of their number to be the patient. Unfortunately for the experiment, the gas bag was by mistake withdrawn much too soon, and he was but partially under its influence when the tooth was extracted.  He testified that he experienced some pain, but not as much as usually attends the operation.  A there was no other patient present, that the experiment might be repeated, and as several expressed their opinion that it was a humbug affair (which in fact was all the thanks I got for this gratuitous service) I accordingly left the next morning for home."

After failing in his lecture to the medical school, Wells was essentially booed out of the lecture auditorium.  This fact devastated and embarrassed Wells.  When he returned to Hartford, he sold his house and sold his dental practice. Hoping that he might find some good news on the use of nitrous oxide for anesthesia, he felt tragedy again when his apprentice, Morton wrote to him.  Morton had taken his idea of anesthesia and had used a different compound, ether, to induce a painless sleep. Massachusetts General Hospital had welcomed Morton's "innovation" and Morton had already used the ether anesthesia in a hundred and sixty cases for extracting teeth. Morton had thus stolen Wells' invention and Wells was obviously embittered because his apprentice had stolen his idea. After trying to present his case for anesthesia in Paris, France, Wells left his family and moved to New York. Insane due to the injustices done upon him, Wells was put in jail for hurling sulfuric acid at prostitutes in New York City.  While in jail he inhaled chloroform anesthesia and killed himself by cutting his left groin artery with a razor.  Wells have been driven into madness to a large part by his unsuccessful presentation in Boston, and with the fame that had been acquired for his old apprentice, Morton.

Images from the development of anesthesia:

Mechanism used to breath in          Early developments in gaseous anesthesia

Wells and  Anesthesia in a Historical Context:

Wells is an apt scientific figure to study because his significance and identity is not well known in the scientific historical world.   He has often been neglected because William Morton made considerable efforts to publish and experiment more with his findings.  However, from a historical standpoint on the origin of anesthesia I believe Horace Wells must be given fuller credit.    While compounds such as nitrous oxide, ether, and chloroform were not invented by Horace Wells, he was the first to use these anesthesia vapors for medical purposes.   He was also the first to discover that these vapors when taken in enough magnitude can completely reduce any form of physical pain.  Therefore, Horace Wells is known as an innovator which can be broadened to the discovery of anesthesia.   Without his existence Morton would not have had the background information to formulate a similar anesthesia discovery with ether. Thus, Morton's fame is entirely dependent upon his association with Wells.  To give Morton some credit he did not completely steal Wells idea.  Morton used ether as opposed to Wells' nitrous oxide, but, nonetheless, the innovation was stolen.  Wells is generally not recognized as discoverer of anesthesia except in two parts of the world: Hartford and Paris.   Obviously, he is recognized in Hartford, CT because it is his home town.  But, peculiarly, he is recognized in Paris, France as well because of his travels in Paris to assert his discovery of anesthesia.  To measure Wells' impact on society in a historical context is a difficult matter. As the true discoverer of anesthesia,   Wells is responsible for relieving pain during medical and dental surgery across the world.  Not only has it relieved pain but it has opened up doors to new depths of surgery.  The unconscious patient has also made it easier for the surgeons everywhere because no longer does the patient need to be held down while he squirms in pain. Finally, the last impact is Wells' contribution to the field of anesthesia with nitrous oxide itself.  Even a 150 years later, nitrous oxide is still used for medical and dental purpose as illustrated with the modern nitrous oxide machine on the left.  Before we leave the subject of the individual in history I want to remind everyone that this historical impact of anesthesia is due to Horace Wells' character. His personal qualities of curiosity and creativity  on that fateful night of Dec. 10, 1844 had lead a new era in medicine.

One of two monuments in the world of Horace Wells located in Paris, France.

Map of Horace Wells' first office in Hartford, CT

Map of Horace Wells Monument

*monument is located in Bushnell Park surronded by Trinity St., Wells St., Elm St.and Jewell  St.   The monument is behind the pond.

Map of Horace Wells' Gravesite

The Cedar Hill Cemetary is adjacent to Goodwin Park at the intersection of Maple Ave., Berlin Turnpike and Ridge Road.  His gravesite is in anterior section of cemetary in lot #4.

Links to other Horace Wells Web-sites:

Virtual Museum of Anesthesiology-Horace Wells