The nitrous oxide "dream" of Cora Gray: a dental anesthesia story of 1884

In the September 1884 issue of Frank Leslie's Popular Monthly magazine, a fictional dramatic short story was published concerning the dental use of nitrous oxide. Entitled, "Cora Gray," it was written by the well-known American journalist and poet John Whittaker Watson (1815-1848), who authored hundreds of sentimental, tragic and dramatic poems, serials and stories concerning the destitute lives and deaths of downtrodden young women of that time. His greatest poetic effort, "Beautiful Snow," (1869) tells of a young prostitute who freezes to death in a snow bank. Watson, born in New York City, was educated at the University of New York, where he studied medicine. He also developed and used his skills as an engraver, journalist and writer. Watson obviously based his imaginative narrative on his medical knowledge of nitrous oxide and its physical and psychological side effects when inhaled. The story centers around the dreamlike romantic experiences of a 19-year-old female dental patient while she is under the effects of this gas. It explicitly depicts the administration of nitrous oxide and the resulting erotic visions and hallucinations that the young patient experiences. We make reference to other cautionary scientific writings from the late 1800s, in order to point out and clarify the potentially negative repercussions of nitrous oxide when administered to female dental patients without the presence of a third party. The ethics and propriety of anesthesia administration remain as perennial questions in dentistry to this day.