Wells was so convinced that nitrous oxide could be used as an anesthetic for dental surgery, that he had an assistant remove one of his own teeth while under his own desire. He described the pain as no more painful than the prick of a pin.
Wells then convinced John Warren, Chief Surgeon at Massachusetts General, to allow him to demonstrate the extraction of a tooth under the influence of nitrous oxide to a group of Harvard medical school students. During the process, the patient made a sound which the audience interpreted as pain.
They immediately called the experiment a failure and proclaimed Wells a humbug. Despite the setback, Wells continued to try to convince doctors of the pain-relieving benefits of nitrous oxide.
Wells then convinced John Warren, Chief Surgeon at Massachusetts General, to allow him to demonstrate the extraction of a tooth under the influence of nitrous oxide to a group of Harvard medical school students. During the process, the patient made a sound which the audience interpreted as pain.
They immediately called the experiment a failure and proclaimed Wells a humbug. Despite the setback, Wells continued to try to convince doctors of the pain-relieving benefits of nitrous oxide.