Dr. Horace Wells - Hartford, CT USA
Posted by: 
CraigInCT
N 41° 45.878 W 072° 40.649
18T E 693058 N 4626251
Dr. Wells (1815-1848) was the Hartford dentist who is credited with discovering anesthesia.
Waymark Code: WM466F
Location: Connecticut, United States
Date Posted: 07/13/2008
Views: 63
In December 1844, Dr. Wells attended a traveling show that used nitrous oxide in the act. He saw a man, that he knew locally, injure his leg without showing any hint of pain. He thought that this would be a useful tool to deal with pain during surgical procedures.
He tested the 'laughing gas' on himself while having a colleague remove a wisdom tooth. The tooth extraction was a pain free success.
After a series of additional tests, he went to Boston to perform a public demonstration of its usefulness. During the procedure, the gas was removed too early from the patient, and the patient cried out. The experiment was deemed a failure, even though the patient said that he did not feel much pain.
Dr. Wells was disgraced and left his dentistry practice. He was a traveling salesman for a couple years. In 1847 he went to Europe to demonstrate and sell nitrous oxide, as well as other inhaled drugs used to ease pain during medical operations.
In January 1848, after experimenting with cloroform he became addicted and subsequently became deranged. He was sent to prison after a drug induced incident. He committed suicide while in prison.
In 1864, the American Dental Association honored Wells, posthumously, as the discoverer of modern anesthesia, and the American Medical Association recognized his achievement in 1870.
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The statue is located in Bushnell Park. At the feet of the statue is a large book, that has the word Anesthesia on it, a box and a scroll. On the scroll it says, "I was desirous that it should be as free as the air we breath."
The sculptor was T. H. Bartlett. The bronze statue was cast in Paris, France.
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