George Poe

Dr. J.P. Jackson (left), George Poe (center) and Dr. Francis Morgan (right), 1907

George Poe Jr. (May 8, 1846 – February 3, 1914) was a pioneer of mechanical ventilation of asphyxiation victims. He was the first person to manufacture nitrous oxide for commercial use.

Birth He was the son of George Poe Sr. and Elizabeth Ross Ellicott, who married on December 14, 1835. Around 1885 he married Margaret Amy Wallace and they had the following children: George Poe III; Mary Elizabeth Ellicott Poe; Vylla Poe Wilson; and Elisabeth Ellicott Poe. He was a cousin of Edgar Allan Poe. By 1883 he was supplying about 5000 dentists with laughing gas.

Using the resources of his factory, Poe experimented with oxygen cylinders and tubing and found that he could resuscitate rats and rabbits that he had suffocated. In 1889, he undertook a nationwide tour. He claimed that his apparatus could revive humans who had drowned or been poisoned by gas lamps, and should be available in all hotels and lodging houses to deal with gas poisoning. He found that he could continue his research by enlisting the help of Arthur Frederick Ostrander, the article states: "Not the least interesting feature of Prof. Poe's device is the fact that a mere 10-year-old lad, Arthur Ostrander, acted as eyes and hands for the almost sightless and semi-paralyzed scientist in the construction of the device", the young son of his friend. Arthur Ostrander acted as Poe's eyes and hands, allowing him to further refine his device. In 1907 he began another tour, accompanied by Arthur Ostrander, and two Norfolk physicians, Dr. Francis Morgan and Dr. J. P. Jackson.

Patents Artificial Respiration (1907) Gas Generator I (1909) Gas Generator II (1909) Safety Breathing Armor (1911)