MORTON, William Thomas Green (1819-1868) - photo 1
MORTON, William Thomas Green (1819-1868) - photo 2
MORTON, William Thomas Green (1819-1868) - photo 3

MORTON, William Thomas Green (1819-1868)

Lot 199
10.12.2025 12:00UTC +00:00
Classic
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CHRISTIE'S
AuctioneerCHRISTIE'S
Event locationUnited Kingdom, London
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ID 1514449
Lot 199 | MORTON, William Thomas Green (1819-1868)
Estimate value
£ 8 000 – 12 000
MORTON, William Thomas Green (1819-1868)
Remarks on the Proper Mode of Administering Sulphuric Ether by Inhalation. Boston, MA: Dutton and Wentworth Printers, 1847.
Extremely rare first edition of ‘one of the scarcest of Morton's pamphlets on ether’, presented to Sir William Osler. Morton issued his first formal statement on the technique of etherization in the Lancet (July 1847). ‘Morton announced that his method of producing anaesthesia was obtained by the inhalation of sulphuric ether. He subsequently gave up a lucrative practice in order to devote himself to the study of surgical anaesthesia and the dissemination of information concerning it’ (Garrison-Morton). We can only trace two copies selling at auction in the past 50 years (Swann Galleries, 9 April 2015, lot 173, $9,375; and the Norman-Gedeon copy selling twice through Christie’s, firstly in New York at the Norman sale, 29 October 1998, lot 1207, $12,650, and then again through South Kensington at the Gedeon sale, 23 April 2008, lot 26, £6,875 [$13,668]). Garrison-Morton 5653; Grolier Medicine 64c; Norman 1556.

12mo (176 x 103mm). Half-title, leaf of ads at end (last 2 text leaves and leaf of ads with small light marginal stain at head of gutter, otherwise a clean copy). 20th-century boards preserving original binding of decorative stiff paper wrappers with title printed on upper cover, gilt edges (extremities lightly rubbed, spine just starting to split at head). Contained in a cloth slipcase. Provenance: William James Morton (1845-1920; son of the author, presented to:) – Sir William Osler (1849-1919, physician and bibliophile; inscription in his hand on front free endpaper describing the presentation from W.J. Morton to himself and his subsequent presentation to:) – Royal Society of Medicine (library donative bookplate with accession date of 2 April 1918; stamps dated 3 April 1918 to title, verso of leaf of ads and on inside rear wrapper).
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