``WE HAVE CONQUERED PAIN''

A clear, well-organized, and highly readable account of a dramatic chapter in US history. Although they would not want it characterized this way, four men shared in the discovery of anesthesia. Dr. Crawford Long was the first to perform surgery on an anesthetized person, but failed to publish his work for several years. Dr. Horace Wells pioneered the use of nitrous oxide for tooth extractions, but the first public demonstration of his technique was ridiculed. Dr. William Morton was the first to anesthetize a patient for public surgery, and was widely credited with discovering anesthesia. But chemist Charles T. Jackson fought to discredit Morton and claim credit himself. Wells, Morton, and Jackson were embroiled in a bitter battle that resulted in early deaths for Wells and Morton and insanity for Jackson. All four men emerge as memorable characters and Fradin (Hiawatha, 1992, etc.) gives each his due, maintaining that all of them deserve some credit for the discovery. Riveting. (b&w photos, index) (Nonfiction. 10+)