[TeMPOraL]

> Morton would not divulge the composition of the gas, which he called Letheon, because he had applied for a patent. But Bigelow reported that he smelled ether in it (ether was used as an ingredient in certain medical preparations), and that seems to have been enough. The idea spread like a contagion, travelling through letters, meetings, and periodicals.

Interesting. I wonder what would have happened if Bigelow didn't say a thing. The way this is put, it looks like yet another case where disregarding "intellectual property" is a net positive for the world.