For the first half of the 19th century, gases such as ether and nitrous oxide were primarily used for
entertainment purposes. Traveling medicine shows or carnivals would hold “nitrous oxide capers”
or “laughing gas demonstrations,” during which the public could, for a small fee, inhale a minute’s
worth of the gas and act ridiculous until its effects wore off. “Ether frolics” were similar affairs,
though they were usually private parties held by medical students, who had easy access to the gas.
In 1844, a New England dentist by the name of Horace Wells (1815–1848) attended a traveling
showman’s laughing gas demonstration and witnessed a participant injure himself without any
apparent pain. After the demonstration, Wells approached the showman and convinced him to
conduct an experiment. Wells inhaled some of the showman’s nitrous oxide and had a dentist friend
extract one of his molars. Having felt no pain during the procedure, he sought scientific confirmation
of his discovery. However, when he was allowed to make a public demonstration before Harvard
medical students in 1845, his attempt to extract a tooth produced a cry of pain from the volunteer
patient, and his discovery was dismissed as “humbug.”