It was not, however, until the 11th of April, 1799, that the illustrious chemist and philosopher, Sir Humphry Davy, the discoverer of protoxide of nitrogen, inhaled this gas, in order to assuage the pain incidental to cutting a tooth. He used these prophetic words: - "As "nitrous oxide, amongst its other properties, has that of destroying "physical pain, it may probably be employed with advantage during "surgical operations in which there is no great effusion of "blood."

The experiments of Sir Humphry Davy were soon repeated by the Medical Society of Toulouse, who found the effects to vary according to the individuals who inhaled the gas. The surgeon did not avail himself of its aid, but the experiments were continued in all the chemical schools and those of medicine, as exhibiting the exhilarating effects of the gas on the brain when inhaled. In the course of time, sulphuric ether was used as a substitute to produce similar agreeable sensations when inhaled. The production of a state of nervous congestion or unconsciousness was never dreamt of.

On the 12th April,1829, Dr. Jules Cloqnet, of Paris, performed a capital surgical operation on a lady, who was rendered anaesthetic by the nervous force or fluid. These are the facts:Dr. Chapelain magnetized a lady, who, having a cancer of the breast, an operation was considered indispensable to save her life. She was thrown into a deep sleep.* She then undressed herself and took a seat in an arm-chair, sustaining the operation of the entire extirpation of the breast, which lasted twelve minutes, without the least manifestation of pain. On being awakened some time afterwards, she had not the least recollection of what had taken place. The operator, Dr. Jules Cloquet, is the Professor of Anatomy in the Paris School of Medicine, and member of the Institute of France.

This, certainly, ought to have aroused the profession to the subject of Anaesthesia. Yet no one seemed to have repeated this successful operation commenced under such auspices.

After thirteen years, that is, in December, 1841, the second recorded surgical operation was performed on a child twenty-two months old, who had a fungus involving the left eye. The infant in twenty minutes was reduced to a perfectly comatose state. Dr. Rich, of Bangor, assisted by Drs. Dean and Fogg, operated, removing the entire globe and the fungus of large size in thirty-five minutes. The child did not manifest the least indication of physical suffering.

The following is from The Bostonian, April 23rd, 1842: "Whilst Dr. Collyer was at Bangor, Dr. Dean, a physician of that "place, requested Dr. Collyer to visit a child in a town sixteen miles "distant. He consented, and they went, in company with Dr. Rich, an "eminent surgeon at Bangor. When they arrived at the house, the "mother had the child in her arms; its condition was dreadful, there "was a scrofulous tumour or ulcer the size of a large hen's egg covering "one of its eyes, and a surgical operation was necessary. Dr. Collyer "took the child and mesmerized it, so as to deprive it of all sensibility. "Dr. Rich then performed the operation of cutting out the entire eye, "which lasted thirty-five minutes, during which time the child did not "exhibit any feeling of pain." Numerous other cases were mentioned.

Two years prior to this, a surgical operation was performed, perhaps the first under a condition of unconsciousness, by the "inhalation of narcotic and stimulating vapours."

* And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam, and he slept, and he took one of his ribs and closed up the flesh instead thereof. - Genesis, chapter ii (Contending Claims Of Horace Wells, Wm. T. G. Morton, And Dr. Charles T. Jackson). verse 21.

This occurred on a plantation on the banks of the Mississippi, opposite Carrolton, some six miles above New Orleans. My dear father, in connexion with M. Laurent Millaudon, worked a large distillery on shares, which, during the season could produce 3000 gallons of rum daily. My father had on many occasions observed that the negroes attached to the distillery were much excited and seemed half-intoxicated, and as the distillery was closed on these occasions, he was much puzzled as to how they obtained the liquor. One Sunday afternoon, whilst lying on his sofa, smoking a cigar, in December, 1839, he heard a sudden burst of laughter coming from the interior of the distillery. Being astonished at so unusual an occurrence, having the key in his possession, he unlocked the door, when a scene met his view more easily imagined than described. Some eight negroes were in the act of attempting to raise one of their comrades, "Bob," who lay helpless and insensible on the floor. On instituting an enquiry, the mystery was soon unravelled; it seemed that the negroes had effected an entry into the distillery underneath the brick foundation, which led into a dilapidated "beer reservoir." When once inside, nothing was more easy than raising the trap-door common to each reservoir in the floor of the distillery.

The exterior entrance was kept carefully concealed with brushwood and shrubbery which grows so rapidly and luxuriantly in that climate. "When a favourable opportunity presented itself, the negroes were in the habit of treating themselves to a private inhalation, which was accomplished by mounting the sides of the large vats containing the rectified spirits: they partially removed the cover, so as to put their heads under the canvas which surrounded the top of the vat. There they would inhale the rum atmosphere, experiencing the exhilarating effects of partial intoxication, which were similar to the breathing of nitrous oxide gas. On this occasion "Bob,"from being more sensitive than the rest, fell from the vat, a height of some 10 feet, and in so doing dislocated the hip-joint. The other negroes occupied themselves in putting his leg in various comical positions, which would have been impossible but for the dislocation. This fact, to the negro mind so curious, with their excited state, and their inability to bring "Bob" to consciousness, caused them to be seized with a sudden sense of the ridiculous, which at all times, is peculiarly developed in the negro character; they, regardless of their situation, set up a shout of laughter - the well-known Yah-yah-yah - which led to their discovery. " Bob" was taken to the plantation hospital, where, on examination, I found the head of the femur thrown on the dorsum of the ilium; but as the muscles were all relaxed, no resistance was offered to the reduction of the dislocation.

It was full half-an-hour before "Bob" returned to consciousness.*