Page:Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography (1892, volume 3).djvu/417

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JACKSON
JACKSON
385

ject of electricity. In 1834 he constructed, success- fully worked, and exhibited to his friends, a tele- graphic apparatus, similar to the model that was patented a year later by Mr. Morse, prior- ity over which was al- ways claimed by Dr. Jackson. Meanwhile he settled in Boston, where he practised medicine, but soon abandoned that pro- fession, and in 1838 opened a laboratory for instruction and research in analyti- cal chemistry, which was the first of its kind in the United States. In 1836 he

was appointed state

geologist of Maine and surveyor of public lands, and he spent three years in the execution of this work, publishing three annual " Reports on the Geology of the State of Maine " (Augusta, 1837-'9), and two " Reports on the Geology of the Pub- lic Lands belonging to the Two States of Massa- chusetts and Maine" (Boston, 1837 and 1838). He was appointed state geologist of Rhode Isl- and in 1839, and published in that connection " Report on the Geological and Agricultural Sur- vey of Rhode Island " (Providence, 1840). Subse- Suently he was engaged on a geological survey of few Hampshire, and during the three years spent in this work issued "Reports of the Geology of New Hampshire " (Concord, 1841-4). About this time he drew up a plan for the geological survey of New York, which was adopted. Dr. Jackson explored the southern shores of Lake Superior in 1844, and was the first to call attention to the mineral resources of that country. In the follow- ing year he returned to the same region, opened copper mines, and also discovered iron mines. In 1847 he was appointed by congress t6 survey the mineral lands of Michigan, but two years later was displaced in consequence of political changes in the National government, and published a " Re- Sort on the Mineral Lands of the United States in [ichigan " (1849). His name has been prominent- ly mentioned in connection with the discovery of the anaesthetic properties of ether and nitrous ox- ide, to which claim has been laid by Dr. William T. G. Morton and Dr. Horace Wells, two physi- cians who had studied with him. Dr. Jackson's claims for priority were substantially as follows: He had already experimented on the anaesthetic properties of chloroform and of nitrous-oxide gas, and previous to the winter of 1841-'2, having re- ceived some perfectly pure sulphuric ether, he tried its effects upon himself, administering it with a mixture of atmospheric air, and inhaled it to such an extent as to lose all consciousness, without suf- fering any of the dangerous or disagreeable con- sequences that had hitherto attended the inhala- tion of impure sulphuric ether unmingled with atmospheric air. In the winter of 1841-'2 he in- haled ether vapor for relief from the very severe pain occasioned by the accidental inhalation of chlorine. The relief he experienced led him to in- fer " that a surgical operation could be performed on a patient under the full influence of sulphuric- ether without giving him any pain." The first practical use of anaesthesia produced by ether was in 1846, when it was administered to a patient from whose jaw a tumor was removed by Dr. John C. Warren at the Massachusetts general hospital. In 1852 a memorial was presented to congress, signed by 143 physicians of Boston and its vicinity, ascrib- ing the discovery exclusively to Dr. Jackson. About the same time the question was investigated by a committee of the French academy of sciences, and on their report the academy decreed a prize of 2,500 francs to Dr. Jackson, and another of 2,500 francs to Dr. Morton. M. Elie de Beaumont re- marked in a letter to Dr. Jackson, dated 17 May, 1852 : " In point of fact, the Academy of sciences decreed one of the Montyon prizes of 2,500 francs to you for the discovery of etherization, and it has decreed a prize of 2,500 francs to Mr. Morton for the application of this discovery to surgical op- erations." He published a " Manual of Etheriza- tion, with a History of its Discovery" (Boston, 1861). Dr. Jackson received, besides various or- ders and decorations from the governments of France, Sweden, Turkey, and Sardinia, that of the red eagle, from the king of Prussia, on the recom- mendation of Humboldt. His scientific discov- eries were very numerous, and included a pow- erful blast-lamp for alkaline fusions, which was very serviceable prior to the introduction of illu- minating gas into laboratories. He first demon- strated by his analysis of the meteoric iron of Ala- bama the presence of chlorine in that class of bodies and discovered the deposits of emery in Chester, Mass. Dr. Jackson was one of the early members and long vice-president of the Boston society of natural history. His separate papers comprise very nearly 100 titles, and were contributed to scientific journals both in the United States and Europe. In 1873 his mind became deranged by the constant anxiety and worry incidental to the controversies in which he was engaged, and the remainder of his life was passed in retirement.


JACKSON, Claiborne Fox, statesman, b. in Fleming county, Ky., 4 April, 1807 ; d. in Little Rock, Ark., 6 Dec, 1862. He emigrated to Mis- souri in 1822, raised a volunteer company, and served as its captain in the Black Hawk war. For twelve years he was a member of the legislature, was speaker of the house for one term, was one of the originators of the present banking-house sys- tem of Missouri, and for several years was bank- commissioner. In 1860 he was elected governor, and, his sympathies being with the south, he en- deavored to draw Missouri into secession. When Gen. Nathaniel Lyon broke up the secessionist ren- dezvous at Camp Jackson, Gov. Jackson called out 5,000 militia and ordered them " to defend the state from invasion." On the approach of Lyon and his command, Jackson was forced to quit St. Louis, and in July, 1861, was deposed by the legislature. He then entered the Confederate army with the rank of brigadier-general, but was soon compelled by failing health to resign.


JACKSON, Conrad Faeger, soldier, b. in Pennsylvania, 11 Sept., 1813; d. in Fredericks- burg, Va., 13 Dec, 1862. Before the civil war he had been connected with the Pennsylvania and Reading railroad. He joined the army early in 1861, was appointed colonel of the 9th regiment of Pennsylvania reserves, which he commanded at the battle of Dranesville, Va., and served under Gen. George A. McCall in the Peninsula campaign. In July, 1862, he was made brigadier-general, and commanded the 3d brigade of McCall's division, participated in the battles of South Mountain and Antietara, and was killed at Fredericksburg while at the head of the column of attack.


JACKSON, David, physician, b. in Oxford. Chester co., Pa., about 1747 ; d. in Philadelphia,