Nitrous Oxide - Overview

Overview

In the 1700s and the 1800s, chemists, doctors, and dentists in Europe and the United States experimented with three different anesthetic gases: nitrous oxide, ether (EETH-uhr), and chloroform (KLOR-uh-form). These compounds revolutionized surgical and dental procedures. While under the influence of an anesthetic gas, a patient's perception of pain is altered. Nitrous oxide, ether, and chloroform all dull or block painful sensations. They also produce a rather intense high.

Various devices used for inhaling nitrous oxide are displayed. Photo by Erowid, 2001 Erowid.org.
Various devices used for inhaling nitrous oxide are displayed. Photo by Erowid, © 2001 Erowid.org.

The intoxicating side effects of the gases, however, led to their use and abuse as recreational drugs. A research report titled "Inhalant Abuse," prepared by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) and updated in 2005, noted that "nitrous oxide is the most abused of these [three] gases."

Nitrous oxide is a gas with both anesthetic and analgesic (pain relieving) properties. It was first discovered in 1772 by British scientist, theologian, and philosopher Joseph Priestley (1733–1804). Earlier, Priestley had identified oxygen, which he termed "phlogisticated (floh-JISS-tih-kay-ted) air." The term "phlo-gis-tic" comes from a Greek word meaning "flammable."

Nitrous Demonstrations: An Unusual Form of Entertainment

Although Priestley is credited with discovering nitrous oxide, another scientist recognized the potential value of its numbing and intoxicating effects. This man was Sir Humphry Davy (1778–1829), a British chemist who experimented with the gas on himself and his friends. In a book Davy wrote on the subject in 1800, he suggested that nitrous oxide's ability to dull pain might make it a useful anesthetic in surgeries. But, as Julie M. Fenster noted in Ether Day: The Strange Tale of America's Greatest Medical Discovery and the Haunted Men Who Made It, "no one took his suggestion."

Nitrous oxide was first discovered in 1772 by British scientist, theologian, and philosopher Joseph Priestley. (Some sources cite his name as Priestly.) Bettmann/Corbis.
Nitrous oxide was first discovered in 1772 by British scientist, theologian, and philosopher Joseph Priestley. (Some sources cite his name as Priestly.) © Bettmann/Corbis.

And so, despite Davy's writings on the subject, nitrous oxide was not put to use in the medical field for another four decades. Apparently, according to historical sources, pain was such an accepted part of medical intervention during the early nineteenth century that neither scientists nor doctors seriously considered trying to ease it. Instead, nitrous oxide, which had earned the nickname "laughing gas," enjoyed popularity as a way for the British upper classes to entertain themselves at social gatherings. "The gas was soon offered at dinner parties instead of wine," wrote Fenster. It was even demonstrated in theaters and at festivals. In 1824, crowds in London were amazed by a show called "M. Henry's Mechanical and Chemical Demonstrations." The highly successful performances showed the uninhibiting effects of nitrous oxide on audience volunteers eager to try the gas.

"A New Era in Tooth-Pulling!"

Meanwhile in the United States, laughing gas was featured in traveling medicine shows and carnivals. Gardner Q. Colton (1814–1898), a former medical student, made a good living by giving public demonstrations of nitrous oxide. In New York City in 1844, he organized the "Grand Exhibition of Nitrous Oxide" on Broadway, charging the then-outrageous price of twenty-five cents per ticket. Colton moved his act to Hartford, Connecticut, later that year. Dr. Horace Wells (1815–1848), a dentist in Hartford, attended the nitrous exhibition with his wife. The evening's entertainment changed Wells' life forever.

Both Wells and his wife were among the volunteers from the audience who tried the laughing gas. The couple apparently engaged in some silly antics after sampling the nitrous oxide, but Wells was actually more interested in the effects of the gas on another member of the audience. A local man named Sam Cooley had seriously gashed his legs on a piece of furniture while stumbling around the stage on his nitrous high. His knees were bleeding badly, but he felt no pain. In fact, he didn't even realize he had been hurt. Wells was stunned by the effect of the gas and concluded that nitrous oxide might be useful as a medical anesthetic. In Wells' own often-quoted words, it was the beginning of "a new era in tooth-pulling!"

In keeping with the tradition of scientific experimentation in the nineteenth century, Wells used himself as a test subject. He devised a test case involving his dental colleague and friend Dr. John Riggs, who agreed to extract a tooth from Wells' mouth. The experiment took place on December 11, 1844. Wells asked Colton to set up his nitrous oxide equipment at the office Wells shared with Riggs. Wells administered the gas himself and soon nodded off from its effects. Riggs immediately pulled a sore wisdom tooth from Wells' mouth. The nitrous oxide had worked. Wells woke up shortly after the procedure and reported feeling no pain.

Considering his test a success, Wells began using nitrous oxide—quite successfully—as an anesthetic in his dental practice. When people heard about the new dental procedure, Wells' business increased. He was confident that painful dentistry would soon become a thing of the past.

A Demonstration Gone Bad

In January of 1845, before an audience of experts from the Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital, Wells attempted to demonstrate the anesthetizing effects of nitrous oxide. He used a bag of the gas to sedate a patient before removing a tooth. However, the bag was withdrawn too soon, and the patient awoke before the procedure was complete. The experiment was considered a failure, and Wells was devastated. He never fully recovered from the disastrous demonstration and committed suicide in 1848. More than a decade later, in the early 1860s, the medical community came to understand and accept nitrous oxide as a valuable tool. It was finally being used not as a prop in a traveling sideshow, but as the anesthetic that Wells had suggested.

Over the years, nitrous oxide has been used in various ways. As depicted in this illustration from 1863, the gas was used as an anesthetic when preparing witnesses for trial in Great Britain. Here, one man administers the mixture from a bag whi
Over the years, nitrous oxide has been used in various ways. As depicted in this illustration from 1863, the gas was used as an anesthetic when preparing witnesses for trial in Great Britain. Here, one man administers the mixture from a bag while another pinches the witness' nostrils shut. © Bettmann/Corbis.

Modern Uses

By 1871, companies in both the United States and Great Britain were producing compressed nitrous oxide in cylinders. As of 2003, according to the Compressed Gas Association (CGA), nearly 90 percent of the nitrous oxide manufactured in the United States is intended for medical and dental applications. Another 5 to 8 percent is used in the food industry. Other legitimate uses for nitrous oxide include the manufacture of airbags, semiconductors, and fuels that boost horsepower in race car engines.

About Those Other Gases …

Ether is a flammable liquid with the chemical formula C4H10O. (Flammable means that the substance is capable of catching fire and burning quickly.) The intoxicating effects of ether have been known since the thirteenth century. It was first used as an anesthetic beginning in the mid-1800s, but its high flammability made it dangerous for medical use. The word ether comes from the Greek term meaning "to ignite" or "blaze."

Because ether is a liquid at room temperature, it can be swallowed, or the fumes from the liquid can be inhaled. In the 1760s, it was often dispensed by doctors by the drop onto a lump of sugar or mixed with water and used as a tonic. The use of ether as a recreational drug increased when users realized that it produced intoxication without a hangover. For a time, ether was actually consumed in place of alcohol, but many accidental fires occurred when drinkers sipped on their ether cocktails with a cigarette in hand.

It was not until the nineteenth century that ether caught on as an inhalant. So-called "ether frolics," or parties, became quite popular in the 1820s. The ether high was often compared to a spiritual experience. In fact, the term ethereal refers to the heavens or regions beyond the bounds of Earth.

Dr. William T. G. Morton first administered ether as a general anesthetic on October 16, 1846, at Massachusetts General Hospital. That day has since become known as "Ether Day."

Chloroform is a toxic (poisonous) liquid with a chemical formula of CHCl3. This colorless anesthetic, discovered in 1833, is volatile, meaning it easily converts to a vapor. It is no longer used as a general anesthetic because of its dangerous side effects, which include serious damage to the liver.

Chloroform is an age-old tool of the trade among villains in films and television shows. In typical "bad-guy" style, a villain douses a cloth with chloroform and then approaches an unsuspecting victim from behind, placing the chloroform-soaked cloth over the person's nose and mouth. When inhaled, the fumes from the cloth quickly knock out the victim, leaving him or her defenseless.

However, the laughing gas parties and public demonstrations of the early 1800s evolved into a serious problem of abuse that has persisted into the twenty-first century. The gas is often sold at dance clubs and raves in balloons. Whipped cream cartridges, nicknamed "whippets," also contain nitrous oxide. These cartridges are sold through restaurant supply companies but are frequently purchased for illegal use.