open access

Vol 68, No 3 (2018)
Other materials agreed with the Editors
Published online: 2018-11-26
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William James Morton (1845–1920). Author of America’s first X-ray textbook

Richard F. Mould
·
Nowotwory. Journal of Oncology 2018;68(3):161-166.

open access

Vol 68, No 3 (2018)
History of oncology
Published online: 2018-11-26

Abstract

William James Morton (1845–1920) was the son of a famous father and by supporting his father is linked to the story of ether anaesthesia. Ether and the dentist William Thomas Green Morton (1819–1868) has far outlasted any medical/ scientific contributions made by the electrotherapist/radiologist William James Morton. It is also noticeable that several of his obituaries make no mention of any of his contributions with X-ray work. In later life he served a prison sentence for fraud relating to non-existing silver mines. The X-ray textbook written by William James Morton, in association with Edwin Hammer, was published in September 1896 and was the first X-ray textbook to be published in the USA. Several X-ray images made by William James Morton are included in this brief biography.

Abstract

William James Morton (1845–1920) was the son of a famous father and by supporting his father is linked to the story of ether anaesthesia. Ether and the dentist William Thomas Green Morton (1819–1868) has far outlasted any medical/ scientific contributions made by the electrotherapist/radiologist William James Morton. It is also noticeable that several of his obituaries make no mention of any of his contributions with X-ray work. In later life he served a prison sentence for fraud relating to non-existing silver mines. The X-ray textbook written by William James Morton, in association with Edwin Hammer, was published in September 1896 and was the first X-ray textbook to be published in the USA. Several X-ray images made by William James Morton are included in this brief biography.

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Keywords

American Technical Book Company, anaesthesia, bacteria, Baltimore College of Dental Surgery, Boston Latin School, cancer, cheloid, cholera, Jean-Martin Charcot, diamond mining in South Africa, diphtheria, Thomas Edison, ether, fluoroscope, fraud

About this article
Title

William James Morton (1845–1920). Author of America’s first X-ray textbook

Journal

Nowotwory. Journal of Oncology

Issue

Vol 68, No 3 (2018)

Article type

Other materials agreed with the Editors

Pages

161-166

Published online

2018-11-26

Page views

945

Article views/downloads

2545

DOI

10.5603/NJO.2018.0026

Bibliographic record

Nowotwory. Journal of Oncology 2018;68(3):161-166.

Keywords

American Technical Book Company
anaesthesia
bacteria
Baltimore College of Dental Surgery
Boston Latin School
cancer
cheloid
cholera
Jean-Martin Charcot
diamond mining in South Africa
diphtheria
Thomas Edison
ether
fluoroscope
fraud

Authors

Richard F. Mould

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