On April 15, 1941, from Salem, Indiana, a Mr. George C. Shanks wrote a letter to Dr. Charles W. “Chuck” Mayo (upper right), son of Mayo Clinic cofounder Charles H. “Charlie” Mayo, M.D. Mr. Shanks was requesting Dr. C. W. Mayo’s view on whether Crawford Long or William Morton deserved the credit for pioneering surgical etherization. On May 8, Dr. Mayo signed a typewritten response (left) opining that, “The honor of priority in the application of ether for the benefit of mankind may well be a divided one between Long and Morton which, in my opinion, detracts nothing from the status of either man.” (Copyright © the American Society of Anesthesiologists, Inc.)
On April 15, 1941, from Salem, Indiana, a Mr. George C. Shanks wrote a letter to Dr. Charles W. “Chuck” Mayo (upper right), son of Mayo Clinic cofounder Charles H. “Charlie” Mayo, M.D. Mr. Shanks was requesting Dr. C. W. Mayo’s view on whether Crawford Long or William Morton deserved the credit for pioneering surgical etherization. On May 8, Dr. Mayo signed a typewritten response (left) opining that, “The honor of priority in the application of ether for the benefit of mankind may well be a divided one between Long and Morton which, in my opinion, detracts nothing from the status of either man.” (Copyright © the American Society of Anesthesiologists, Inc.)
George S. Bause, M.D., M.P.H., Honorary Curator, ASA’s Wood Library-Museum of Anesthesiology, Schaumburg, Illinois, and Clinical Associate Professor, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio. UJYC@aol.com.
