Excerpt from A History of the Discovery of the Application of Nitrous Oxide Gas, Ether, and Other Vapors to Surgical Operations I propose, in the briefest manner possible, to give, in the following pages, a true and faithful history of the discovery which is at present causing an unparalleled excitement throughout the whole medical world. I refer to the administering of exhilarating gas, or vapor, to prevent pain in surgical Operations. It is very unfortunate that there should be more than one claimant for the honor of the discovery; but so it is: and the only alternative now is, for the man who considers himself entitled to this honor to present his proofs, that a discriminating and impartial public may give credit to whom credit is due. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.