- Gardner Quincy Colton
Gardner Quincy Colton (February 17, 1814,
Georgia, Vermont – August 9, 1898,Rotterdam ) was an American showman, lecturer, and former medical student who pioneered the use ofnitrous oxide indentistry .After making $535 from his first public demonstration of nitrous oxide, Colton left medical school to travel the country giving lectures and presentations. On December 10, 1844, he gave a performance in
Hartford, Connecticut , at which one of his audience volunteers injured his leg, but did not feel the pain because of the effects of the gas. Connecticut dentistHorace Wells was in attendance, realized the possibilities of using nitrous oxide in dental surgery, and obtained a supply of the gas from Colton.In 1849, Gardner Colton went to
California , where his brotherWalter Colton wasalcalde of Monterey, to join theCalifornia Gold Rush . He was unsuccessful in finding gold, and Colton returned to the East. In partnership with two dentists, Colton set up the Colton Dental Association, which promoted the use of nitrous oxide in dental procedures and became a thriving business. Between 1864 and 1897, Colton and his associates used nitrous oxide in tens of thousands of tooth extractions.References
*G.B. Smith and N.P. Hirsch, "Gardner Quincy Colton: pioneer of nitrous oxide anesthesia", "Anesthesia & Analgesia", March 1991, pp. 382-91.
*Julie M. Fenster , "Ether Day: The Strange Tale of America's Greatest Medical Discovery and the Haunted Men Who Made It" (2001).External links
* [http://www.general-anaesthesia.com/images/gardner-colton.html Gardner Colton biography, general-anaesthesia.com]
* [http://www.historyhouse.com/in_history/nitrous_two/ "What A Gas: Part II", Historyhouse.com (includes more references)]
* [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9F0DE5DC143CF931A2575BC0A9679C8B63 David F. Musto, "They Inhaled"] ,New York Times , August 12, 2001 (review of "Ether Day")
* [http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9024864/Gardner-Quincy-Colton#255900.hook Encyclopedia Britannica entry]
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