William Thomas Green Morton
Pioneered the use of ether as a surgical anesthetic, making painless surgery possible.
Most quoted
"I have invented a fluid which, applied to the mouth, will cause a patient to fall into a profound sleep, from which he will awaken without pain."
— from Morton's own account, 1846
"To suffer no more pain, to dread no more the surgeon's knife, to be spared the agony of the operating table – this is a blessing beyond measure."
— from Public statement, 1846
"I have discovered a compound by inhaling which, a person is rendered insensible to pain, and can be operated upon without suffering."
— from Letter to Dr. Charles T. Jackson, 1846
All quotes by William Thomas Green Morton (394)
The suffering of patients before my discovery was a disgrace to civilization.
I have made surgery a pleasure, instead of a torment.
I have conquered pain, the greatest enemy of man.
My discovery will revolutionize medicine.
The true inventor is often the one who suffers the most.
I have been persecuted for my genius.
The government should reward those who benefit humanity, not punish them.
My name will be remembered long after my detractors are forgotten.
I have faced down the skepticism of the ignorant and the malice of the envious.
The greatest discovery of the age has brought me only ruin.
I stand by my claims, despite all opposition.
The world will eventually recognize the truth of my invention.
I have opened the door to a new era of surgery.
The suffering caused by surgical operations before my discovery was unimaginable.
I have made the impossible, possible.
My discovery is a gift from God to mankind.
Let no man claim what is rightfully mine.
The history of medicine will forever bear my mark.
I have lived a life of struggle, but not in vain.
The greatest good for the greatest number, but not at the expense of the inventor.
Contemporaries of William Thomas Green Morton
Other Medicines born within 50 years of William Thomas Green Morton (1819–1868).