An Appraisal of William Thomas Green Morton's Life as a Narcissistic Personality

• Published in: Anesthesiology (Philadelphia) Vol. 117; no. 1; pp. 10 - 14
• Main Authors: MARTIN, Ramon F, WASAN, Ajay D, DESAI, Sukumar P
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Hagerstown, MD Lippincott Williams & Wilkins 01-07-2012
• Subjects: Anesthesia; Anesthesia. Intensive care medicine. Transfusions. Cell therapy and gene therapy; Biological and medical sciences; History, 19th Century; Medical sciences; Morton; Personality Disorders - diagnosis; United States; United States; Narcissistic personality; Anesthesia; Personality disorder
• ISSN: 0003-3022; 1528-1175
• DOI: 10.1097/ALN.0b013e31825922e1

The troubled life and death of William Thomas Green Morton has been described in several texts. His first public demonstration of ether anesthesia was the highpoint of a life that was less than successful in many of his endeavors. Close examination of this life reveals a pattern of behavior that progresses from narcissistic traits to narcissistic personality pathology. This retrospective psychiatric analysis of Morton's life was undertaken to theorize as to why Morton, after having successfully demonstrated ether anesthesia, did not continue to develop anesthesia as a clinical specialty. Biographies about Morton were used to explore details of his life. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders classification of narcissistic personality disorder was used to analyze his life. We conclude that Morton progressed from displaying narcissistic personality trait to disorder over his lifetime.