Dr Charles Thomas Jackson's (1805–80) life after death: the 20th century mythology

Abstract

References to Dr Charles Thomas Jackson in 20th century anaesthesia literature and biographical dictionaries and encyclopedias emphasize his maniacal insanity and its relation to his usurpations of the discoveries of others, including the controversy with William TG Morton concerning the honour of the discovery of surgical anaesthesia. In 1873, seven years before his death, he experienced sudden collapse and paralysis requiring hospitalization. Seminal 19th century brain research before his hospitalization correlated the signs and symptoms of his illness with pathology found at his autopsy