Page:A cyclopedia of American medical biography vol. 1.djvu/499

 GUTHRIE

GUTHRIE

very much as he left it. In this house, in the year 1782, the younger Samuel was born, and here he doubtless re- ceived his first inclination to medicine and love of science. Of his early life we know nothing, except that he studied medicine with his father, but began to practise for himself in Sher- burne, New York, where his grand- father, James Guthrie resided. Shortly after (1804) he married Sybil Sexton, of Smyrna, New York, and later, his diary — still preserved — shows that he attended medical lectures in New York and at the University of Pennsylvania (Philadelphia, 1810-11).

When thirty-five (1817) he removed to Sacketts Harbor, New York, at that time a military post, established in 1S12. Here Dr. Guthrie established a vinegar factory to supply the fort and began experimenting in the manufacture of percussion powder in which he was very successful. "S. Guthrie's Water- proof Percussion Priming" was for many years widely known and exten- sively used through the United States and Canada.

There are in the museum of Yale College, specimens of chlorate of potas- sium, glucose syrup and pure oil of turpentine manufactured by him in the little laboratory at the edge of the woods in Jewettsville, a little hamlet about a mile from the town of Sacketts' Harbor. Here it was that he first thought out or stumbled upon the method of manufacture of choloroform, now generally adopted the world round, viz.: the distillation of alcohol with chloride of lime. This fact he com- municated to Professor Silliman, editor of "The American Journal of Arts and Science," under the caption of "New Mode of Preparing a Spirituous Solu- tion of Chloric Ether, by Samuel Guthrie, of Sacketts' Harbor, New York." (Art. VI, vol. xxi, October, 1831.)

As early as May, 1831, and prob- ably earlier, his attention was turn- ed to the "medicinal value of chloric ether," as set forth in Silliman's Chem-

sitry. Chloric ether of to-day is gener- ally understood to mean an alcoholic solution of chloroform (1:19), and this is exactly what Dr. Guthrie unintention- ally produced, although he was en- deavoring to "find a more convenient method of making" a very different substance, the chloric ether of Silliman's Chemistry, viz.: "Dutch Liquid." This is proven by the note sent by Dr. Guthrie with his specimen of "chloric ether" which reads as follows: "My attention was called to the subject by the suggestion in volume ii, page 20, of "Yale College Elements of Chemistry," that the alcoholic solution of chloric ether is a grateful diffusive stimulant, and that, as it admits of any degree of dilution, it may be probably introduced into medicine."

It is evident from this quotation that Mr. Guthrie had no idea that he had discovered a new compound. His statement is that he has invented a new method of preparing the "chloric ether" described on page 20 of Silliman's Chemistry. There can be no doubt that this was Prof. Silliman's idea, as proved by his notes on the subject, which may be found on page 405, second volume, of volume xxi, "American Journal of Arts and Science," wherein Prof. Silliman expressly says: "Mr. Guthrie's method of preparing it is ingenious, economical and original, and the etherized spirit which he has for- warded as a sample is exactly analo- gous in sensible properties to the solu- tion made in the manner described in the above work."

The exact date upon which this article was sent to Prof. Silliman unfortunately cannot be definitely de- termined. The magazine in which it was published bears date of October, 1831, and the notice to contributors desires that "comunications be in hand six weeks, or when long, with drawings, two months before the pub- [ication day." If this rule was ob- served in the case of Dr. Guthrio, his paper must have reached Prof.