No Laughing Matter: Medicine’s First Anesthetic

Before the advent of anesthesia, having a tooth extracted was a nightmare. Patients had to bear the pain and there was little that the dentist could do.

Thanks to the pioneering work of one dentist, pain has become a thing of the past in many dental clinics today and patients can now sit comfortably in the dental chair without feeling depressed or distressed.

The word anesthesia was coined by American poet and physician Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr. in 1846. This refers to the state of temporarily removing or blocking sensations of pain. It can also refer to the reversible lack of awareness that can either be total (as in the case of general anesthesia) or partial (like local anesthesia).

The roster of early anesthetics used by early man included opium, coca leaves and alcohol. Although popular, the herbal preparations had one serious drawback: given too little, they were useless; too much and they could kill a person.

In 1799, things changed when British chemist Humphrey Davy discovered the anesthetic qualities of nitrous oxide or laughing gas. Because it causes euphoria and hallucinations, this colorless, non-flammable gas that has a pleasant, slightly sweet odor was also used for recreational and entertainment purposes.

But it was several years later in 1844 when traveling dentist Horace Wells of Hartford, Connecticut, pioneered the use of laughing gas in dentistry. After seeing its effects, he believed that it would make an ideal anesthetic and tested it on himself.

“After Wells saw a public demonstration of the gas, which was featured for people's amusement at a traveling show, he became convinced of its medical possibilities. Shortly afterwards, Wells had himself put under and asked a colleague to extract one of his molars. When he awakened, Wells said, ‘I didn't feel it so much as the prick of a pin. A new era in tooth-pulling has arrived!’” said the Delta Dental of New Jersey.

Excited at his discovery, Wells began using laughing gas on his patients and later gave a demonstration to students at the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston in 1845. But his presentation backfired when the wrong dose was administered and the male volunteer screamed. Other sources said the patient screamed in shock not in pain but this didn’t fare well with the medical community which discredited Wells.

The disgruntled dentist gave up dentistry ad began his new life as a traveling salesman, selling canaries, shower baths and other household items. Although Wells’ former partner American dentist William Thomas Green Morton managed to extract the tooth of patient Eben frost using laughing gas on September 30, 1846, the latter decided to use a different chemical called diethyl ether in his public demonstration at the same hospital on October 16, 1846. Shortly thereafter, Holmes named the procedure “anesthesia.”

Success came to Morton sooner than he expected and he hired his old friend Wells to promote the new anesthetic. While in Europe, however, Wells encountered another stumbling block. He became addicted to chloroform and things took a turn for the worst.

“One day, delirious, Wells rushed out into the street and threw sulfuric acid over the clothing of two prostitutes. He was committed to New York's infamous Tombs Prison. As the influence of the drug waned, Wells' mind started to clear. In despair, he realized the horror of what he had done. Wells then committed suicide, slitting an artery in his leg with a razor after inhaling an analgesic dose of chloroform to blot out the pain,” said the editors of Wikipedia.

But Wells didn’t die in vain. His discovery revolutionized the field of dentistry and paved the way for the development of modern anesthesia. In 1864, the American Dental Association honored Wells posthumously while the American Medical Association recognized his efforts in 1870. If anything, Wells’ legacy – that of easing the pain and discomfort of millions of patients worldwide – is certainly no laughing matter.