ton sought from him means to prevent pain when extracting teeth, it is doubtful if the world would have had the advantage of the discovery for years, if ever. The truth is, Dr. Jackson was a great genius and had remarkable intuitive perceptions of scientific truths, but, from some peculiarities hard to comprehend, he often contented himself with enunciating what he recognized as fact, without striving to substantiate it. He himself admitted his shortcomings in this respect. When Dr. Gray had written his essay upon the discovery of ether, claiming for Dr. Jackson all the merits of its introduction, I objected to his view of the matter, and took the ground that the world was indebted to both Jackson and Morton for the great boon; to one as the scientific discoverer and suggester of its use in surgical operations, to the other for his application of it and its' practical introduction.
"Dr. Jackson, learning of this, upon meeting me remarked that I was thought not to be friendly to him in the matter. I then said: 'Doctor, you have known for a long period what Mr. Morton is now demonstrating to be true, but have allowed it to remain a dormant fact in your mind. If he had not sought information from you, might it not have remained so for years longer?' He answered that possibly it might. I think it may fairly be said that, without both Jackson and Morton, the world might have been none the happier for what either would have done; one supplemented the other. To them together belongs the great honor of having served humanity beyond what language can express."
Dr. Jackson was the first person in this country to establish a chemical laboratory for students; and many of the chemists of the last half-century were indebted to him for their earlier instruction in the analyses of mineral bodies. While engaged in giving instruction of this kind, he invented a powerful blast-lamp for alkaline fusions, which was very serviceable previous to the introduction of street-gas into laboratories.
His geological explorations of the three New England States and the south shore of Lake Superior were among the earliest that were made in the United States.
Dr. Jackson's scientific papers, which appeared from time to time in the public journals, were numerous; many of them were of great interest and importance.
As early as 1834 he contributed to the "Journal of the Boston Society of Natural History" an article on the "Chiastolite or Made of Lancaster, Massachusetts." This was followed by other papers on various minerals. The published "Proceedings" of the Society, from 1841 till the time when he was prostrated by illness, were illuminated by his frequent contributions to the discussions and papers on matters of scientific interest. To "Silliman's Journal" he contributed "Analyses of the Mineral Waters of the Azores"; "Remarks on the Geology
