Bergman N A
JAMA. 1985 Feb 1;253(5):675-8.
In 1795, Samuel Latham Mitchill, MD, of New York City published a theory of contagion. He proposed that the cause of plaguelike disease was exposure to "gaseous oxide of azote" (nitrous oxide). During the course of his exposition of this theory, Mitchill presented a clear and vivid description of the effects of nitrous oxide inhalation and the resulting anesthetic state. This earliest description of nitrous oxide narcosis appears to have been overlooked. It antedates that of Humphry Davy by five years. Samuel Latham Mitchill should be accorded an important position among the pioneers of anesthesia because of this description and also because his interest in nitrous oxide was the direct stimulus for Humphry Davy's investigations, ultimately leading to introduction of anesthesia into clinical practice.
1795年，纽约市的医学博士塞缪尔·莱瑟姆·米奇尔发表了一种传染理论。他提出，类似瘟疫的疾病的病因是接触“氮的气态氧化物”（一氧化二氮）。在阐述这一理论的过程中，米奇尔对吸入一氧化二氮的效果以及由此产生的麻醉状态进行了清晰生动的描述。一氧化二氮麻醉的这一最早描述似乎被忽视了。它比汉弗莱·戴维的描述早了五年。由于这一描述，以及他对一氧化二氮的兴趣是汉弗莱·戴维进行研究的直接刺激因素，最终促成了麻醉在临床实践中的应用，塞缪尔·莱瑟姆·米奇尔在麻醉学先驱中应占有重要地位。
