How American dentists helped pioneer oxygenation of general anesthetics worldwide.
Dentists Horace Wells and later William Morton introduced the world to general anesthesia with nitrous oxide and ether, respectively. During the latter half of the 1800s, some of their colleagues actually redefined anesthetic gas mixtures as ones including either room air or oxygen as a carrier gas. American dentists pioneered America's first series of bubble-through anesthetic vaporizers as well as early efforts in anesthesia literature and education. By the end of the 19th Century, America's leading dental supplier, S.S. White, was mass-producing an anesthesia apparatus which combined oxygen with nitrous oxide--a template or catalyst for the design of anesthesia machines worldwide.
Bause
George S
GS
Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, School of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, USA. UJYC@aol.com
D000766:Anesthesia, Dental / Q000266:history*; D000768:Anesthesia, General / Q000266:history* / Q000295:instrumentation; D003748:Dental Equipment / Q000266:history; D049672:History, 19th Century; D009609:Nitrous Oxide; D010100:Oxygen; D014481:United States
D009609:Nitrous Oxide; D010100:Oxygen