The rest of the world paid little attention to him, and both his name and his work have long been forgotten. But I’ll always remember what he said and did. Trees, he wanted people to know, are sensitive and have feelings just as all other living things have. When hurt, they are subject to shock, just as people are. And shock can kill. Moving a tree, even when it is dormant, or pruning it drastically, is a great shock. Many trees die from such treatment, and all of them suffer for a long time afterward. So, he thought, why not give them an anesthetic to put them to sleep before any sort of operation? Wouldn’t they recover more quickly and grow faster? The very idea that a tree might have feelings has long been considered laughable to a great many people. But the doctor was sure that trees—in spite of having no sign of a nervous system—are extremely sensitive and would benefit tremendously if a pain-killer could be found for them. After much experimenting, he came up with an anesthetic that would actually put a tree to sleep.
