On February 7, 1879, Jacob Schaefer, Sr. (left) defeated George F. Slosson (right) at the finals of the “Second World Championship” of three-ball carom billiards. One week before vanquishing Slosson, Schaefer had won Game 18 of that same tournament against another opponent in New York City. Few of that January game’s spectators ever learned that, just before cues had been crossed, an aching tooth had been extracted from Game 18’s manager. For that on-site anesthetic, pioneer dental anesthetist Gardner Q. Colton (1814 to 1898) had administered nitrous oxide. (Copyright © the American Society of Anesthesiologists’ Wood Library-Museum of Anesthesiology.)
On February 7, 1879, Jacob Schaefer, Sr. (left) defeated George F. Slosson (right) at the finals of the “Second World Championship” of three-ball carom billiards. One week before vanquishing Slosson, Schaefer had won Game 18 of that same tournament against another opponent in New York City. Few of that January game’s spectators ever learned that, just before cues had been crossed, an aching tooth had been extracted from Game 18’s manager. For that on-site anesthetic, pioneer dental anesthetist Gardner Q. Colton (1814 to 1898) had administered nitrous oxide. (Copyright © the American Society of Anesthesiologists’ Wood Library-Museum of Anesthesiology.)
George S. Bause, M.D., M.P.H., Honorary Curator and Laureate of the History of Anesthesia, Wood Library-Museum of Anesthesiology, Schaumburg, Illinois, and Clinical Associate Professor, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio. UJYC@aol.com.
