By Richard J. Wolfe. 672 pp., illustrated. San Anselmo, Calif., Norman, 2001. $125. ISBN 0-930405-81-1.
"Tarnished idol" is an apt description of William Thomas GreenMorton (Figure 1). After his successful demonstration of surgicalanesthesia in the Ether Dome of the Massachusetts General Hospitalon October 16, 1846, Morton attained the status of a hero. Buthe himself besmirched that reputation by a reckless pursuitof fame and money and an underhanded way of denying recognitionof the contributions of others to the discovery. In this book,Richard Wolfe, former librarian at the Countway Library of HarvardMedical School, examines both aspects of Morton's character.
View larger version (64K): [in this window]
[in a new window]
Previous
