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)
Legacy is not in gold, but in eased suffering.
I have discovered a means by which surgical operations may be performed without pain.
I have tried it on myself, and it is a perfect success.
The patient is insensible to pain.
A new era in surgery has dawned.
My object was to find a substance that would produce insensibility to pain, without danger to the patient.
The greatest discovery ever made for the relief of suffering humanity.
I claim the discovery of the anesthetic properties of sulphuric ether.
To alleviate human suffering is a noble aim.
The world will yet do justice to my claims.
I have given to the world the means of abolishing pain.
The greatest boon ever conferred upon mankind.
My discovery is for the benefit of all.
I have labored incessantly for this great object.
The relief of suffering is paramount.
I have devoted my life to this cause.
The demonstration was a complete success.
Pain is no longer an inevitable accompaniment of surgery.
I sought to conquer pain, and I have succeeded.
The application of ether is simple and safe.
Contemporaries of William Thomas Green Morton
Other Medicines born within 50 years of William Thomas Green Morton (1819–1868).