La Médecine des lumières: tout autour de Tissot

any formal qualifications prior to the demonstration with ether is also confirmed. Interweaving the traditional story with his new information, Wolfe leads the reader through a very different tale of the introduction of ether by a man not conditioned by scientific training and lacking in moral principles. The notion is raised that it was Charles T Jackson who put the idea for the use of ether into Morton's mind, and that on the same day came its first use on Eben Frost in Morton's surgery. The possibility of the use of nitrous oxide for the painless fitting of false teeth, and the financial benefit that this could bring to his dental practice, originated by Horace Wells, was not lost on Morton. He persevered, found success with ether, and sought to patent the concept so as to benefit commercially from the sale of licences. Failing to make the expected profits, he applied to Congress for financial reward. This resulted in a twenty-five year long marathon, during which his dental practice declined. For a time he became a successful farmer, but the purchase of land, bought, as in his youthful business enterprises, with borrowed money that he could not repay, ultimately led to financial disaster. Tarnished idol provides a rich insight into the interplay of personalities and circumstances of the "ether controversy", and much material about the nature and behaviour of the various characters. One example of their interaction occurred during Morton's second appeal to Congress. This was the sensational trial of a Harvard professor, John White Webster, for the murder of one of Harvard's benefactors, George Parkman. The victim's dismembered remains were found in the privy in Webster's office. The verdict relied heavily, for the first time on record, on the forensic dental evidence, given by three people deeply involved in the ether controversy, Charles T Jackson, Nathan C Keep and William Morton. Since they were on opposite sides, Morton was able to use this as an opportunity to take revenge on Keep for the dissolution of their partnership some three years earlier. Wolfe surmises that Morton was paid handsomely for his participation. It may be felt that Richard Wolfe is overly critical of Morton and his character, in comparison with his gentle handling of Jackson, whose duplicitous behaviour is also susceptible of serious criticism; but with regard to Morton, as the rich tapestry of events and people, of opportunism and disappointment, unfolds throughout the book, regardless of any sympathy he may feel, the reader is bound to be left with the impression of a "tarnished" rather than a "fallen" idol.