Dr. Horace Wells Statue - Hartford, CT
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neoc1
N 41° 45.878 W 072° 40.649
18T E 693058 N 4626251
Dr. Horace Wells was the discoverer of anesthesia.
Waymark Code: WMCHRG
Location: Connecticut, United States
Date Posted: 09/10/2011
Views: 3
Dr. Horace Wells (1815-1848) was a dentist practicing in Hartford. He is credited with discovering anesthesia after experimenting upon himself with the use of nitrous oxide (laughing gas), N2O. Dr. Wells successfully demonstrated the anaesthetic value of nitrous oxide by having his own tooth extracted by an associate, John Riggs. He then used the procedure on his patients. He refused to patent the discovery because he believed that pain relief should be in the public domain. For a brief time, Horace Wells shared a dentistry practice with William T. G. Morton, who first used ether as a anesthetic in dentistry.
The large statue of Dr. Horace Wells is located in Bushnell Park in a plaza near the center of the Lily Pond. The bearded Dr. Wells is wearing a suit, bow tie, and knee-length overcoat open in front. With his left arm he is pulling a cloak around his chest. In his right hand he holds a walking stick. Near his right foot there is a book and ornate lock box. The 8' by 48" by 41" statue stands on a 98" by 48" by 48" granite pedestal.
The statue was funded by the State of Connecticut and the City of Hartford. The cost was $10,000. It was sculpted by Truman Howe Bartlett and cast at the Gruet foundry in 1874. It was unveiled and dedicated July 22, 1875.
The base is inscribed:
HORACE WELLS
THE DISCOVERER OF
ANAESTHESIA.
DECEMBER 1844