William T. G. Morton, M.D. -- Sulphuric ether. 1852 : Referred to a select committee : Dr. William H. Bissell, of Illinois, chairman : The select committee to whom was referred the memorial of Dr. William T.G. Morton, asking remuneration from Congress for the discovery of the anaesthetic or pain-subduing properties of sulphuric ether.

Date:
[1852]
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Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: William T. G. Morton, M.D. -- Sulphuric ether. 1852 : Referred to a select committee : Dr. William H. Bissell, of Illinois, chairman : The select committee to whom was referred the memorial of Dr. William T.G. Morton, asking remuneration from Congress for the discovery of the anaesthetic or pain-subduing properties of sulphuric ether. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The University of Glasgow Library. The original may be consulted at The University of Glasgow Library.

    55/135 (page 55)
    — day of January, 1847, Messrs. Loring cSc Hays, the counsel for Dr. Jack- son, addressed a letter to Dr. Morton, of which the following is an ex- tract : It ^^eemed best that the differences between Dr. Jackson and your- self should not be made public; on the contrary, that it should be gen- erally understood the difHculties were in the course of adjustment. * * We have uniformly said, when inquired of, that we were making arrange- ments that we hoped would distribute the profits of the discovery in such a manner as would be satisfactory-to all parties. Under the present circumstances of the case, we think the least that, injustice to yourselves and Dr. Jackson, you can offer, is 25 per cent, of the profits arising from the invention, both at home and abroad, in settle- ment of his claim upon you. * i * ' It is our wish to settle the matter amicably, if possible, vye hope you will see, by our suggestions, that we wish only to have a fair dis- tribution of the profits of a discovery made among those who cannot, if they disagree, effectually sustain the patent; and which, if sustained, promises to give to all parties large sums of money.for their united co-opera- tion The proposition was rejected by Dr. Morton. This transaction shows the view that the parties each entertained, at that time, of his rights in the discovery; and it does not, in the opinion of your committee, place Dr. Jackson in a favorable position to denounce the patent, in the profits of which he desired thus to participate, as an infamous speculation on human suffering. The former committee proceed to say: Your committee do not feel that on this question of fact the parties ought to be bound by the legal conclusions of their common friend, Mr. Eddy, or by the papers which they executed in pursuance of«his legal advice. But they'do consider the communications made by them at the time to Mr. Eddy, the mutual agreement of the parties between them- selves as touching the discover}', and the facts admitted by them on the consultation, as matter of the utmost importance and significance. A voluntary agreement took place between the parties on that day, of which both must have understood the full force and effect, and to which neither seems to have been, or probably could have been, impelled by advice or counsel. It was that the whole right to use the discovery under the patent should be and was assigned to Dr. Morton, he paying to Dr. Jackson ten per cent, on all sales for licenses. Your committee cannot here fail to remember the unqualified ternls of contempt and reprobation in which Dr. Jtj^ckson had, during the pre- ceding part of the monYh down almost to the very date of this arrange- ment, spoken of Dr. Morton and his alleged ignorance and recklessness in the use of this agent. They cannot conceive it possible, if he felt himself to be the true discoverer, that he would, by solemn contract,.re- linquish all power over his discovery, and place it solely in the hands of a man of whom he thought so illy. Dr. Jackson indignantly repels the idea that it was done for the purpose of gain; and we think it could not be the case, as the pittance reserved to him, if he conceived himself the discoverer, was so despicably small. And how could he hope to acquire/ame by abandoning the most important discovery of the age ?