On September 30, 1846, Morton performed a painless tooth extraction after administering ether to Ebenezer Hopkins Frost (1824–1866). Upon reading a favorable newspaper account of this event, Boston surgeon
Henry Jacob Bigelow arranged for a now-famous demonstration of ether on October 16, 1846, at the
operating theatre of the
Massachusetts General Hospital, or MGH. At this demonstration
John Collins Warren painlessly removed a
tumour from the neck of a Mr.
Edward Gilbert Abbott. News of this use of ether spread rapidly around the world, and the first recorded use of ether outside the USA was in London, England, by the dentist
James Robinson in a tooth extraction at the home of Francis Boote, an American doctor who had heard of Morton's and Bigelow's demonstrations. The MGH theatre came to be known as the
Ether Dome and has been preserved as a monument to this historic event. Following the demonstration, Morton tried to hide the identity of the substance Abbott had inhaled, by referring to it as "
Letheon", but it soon was found to be ether. A month after this demonstration, a
patent was issued for "letheon", although it was widely known by then that the inhalant was ether. The medical community at large condemned the patent as unjust and illiberal in such a humane and scientific profession. Morton assured his colleagues that he would not restrict the use of ether among hospitals and charitable institutions, alleging that his motives for seeking a patent were to ensure the competent administration of ether and to prevent its misuse or abuse, as well as to recoup the expenditures of its development. Morton's pursuit of credit for and profit from the administration of ether was complicated by the furtive and sometimes deceptive tactics he employed during its development, as well as the competing claims of other doctors, most notably his former business partner, Horace Wells. Just after working with him for a mere three weeks, Wells felt Morton could not be tolerated and ended the partnership. After these people claimed to be the inventors of anesthesia, Morton made more applications in 1849, 1851, and 1853, and all failed. Morton later sought remuneration for his achievement through a futile attempt to sue the United States government. The lawyer who represented him was
Richard Henry Dana Jr. Morton's notoriety only increased when he served as the star defense witness in one of the most notable trials of the nineteenth century, that of
John White Webster, who had been accused of the murder of
George Parkman. Morton's rival, Dr Jackson, testified for the prosecution, and the residents of Boston were anxious to witness these nemeses in courtroom combat. His former tutor Dr. Nathan Cooley Keep, who had made the artificial teeth Parkman used, and identified it in the found remain, claimed the body was the victim's. Morton initially denied Keep's claim, but later changed his mind and agreed to Keep's observation. In 1852, he received an honorary degree from the Washington University of Medicine in Baltimore, which later became the College of Physicians and Surgeons. In the spring of 1857,
Amos A. Lawrence, a wealthy Bostonian, together with the medical professionals and influential citizens of Boston, developed a plan to raise $100,000 as a national testimonial to Morton, receiving contributions from both public and private citizens. Morton performed public service yet again in the autumn of 1862 when he joined the
Army of the Potomac as a volunteer surgeon, and applied ether to more than two thousand wounded soldiers during the battles of
Fredericksburg,
Chancellorsville, and the
Wilderness. == Death ==