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of Dr. Brunton's arguments as applied to the lower animals, the practical anæsthetists present
deprecated the extension of conclusions from the lower animals to man, unless positive evidence
of uniformity of behaviour of chloroform towards men and beasts were adducible. It was
further pointed out that the evidence produced was, so far as the action of the drug upon the
heart went, wholly negative, and that the clinical observations of Snow, Clover, and living
anæsthetists were opposed to the Commission's contention that chloroform kills through the
failure of respiration, and not by primary heart failure. While conceding the obvious and
great value of experiments made upon the lower animals to elucidate conditions prevailing in
man, one of the speakers pointed out that considerable divergence in reaction towards
chloroform existed in them, and this was an additional reason for not relying too much in the
present discussion upon the negative evidence Dr. Brunton advanced. None will seek to
diminish the great value, both scientifically and practically, of Dr. Brunton's painstaking
researches, and it must be accepted as a sign of respect to him that so eager and lively a
discussion was elicited by his description of his part in the work of the Hyderabad
Chloroform Commission.
LETTER FROM DR. DUDLEY BUXTON.
TO THE EDITORS OF "THE LANCET."
Sirs.—The publications of the report of the Second Hyderabad Chloroform Commission
and Dr. Lauder Brunton's explanatory remarks given to the Medical Society afford very
many points for careful study. It is unnecessary
for me to dwell upon the debt we owe to
Surgeon-Major Lawrie, to the public-spirited Nizam of Hyderabad, or to Dr. Brunton and the
other members of the Commission. Dr. Brunton's work has always been so good, so thorough,
and so earnest that I believe all who are interested in this most important question—Can
chloroform be given safely, if given properly?—looked forward with the utmost interest to the
feast of reason which he alike with the other members of the Commission, was to place b efore
us.
Now that we have got it, are we happy? Dispassionate candour compels me to reply that
I at least have been carried no farther, although setting main issues aside, I would add no one
can read the suggestive report without gleaning much that is valuable and much that is instru
c -
tive. Of the many points invoked. I can crave your indulgence for reference only to
a few. In the fiest place, I fi nd no attempt is made to bridge over the great hiatus betwixt
experiment upon the lower animals and the daily experiments made
on man. Possibly this
is to come. Again. I am disappointed to learn
no authoritative statetment as to whether
dogs,
monkey, &c., are liable to syncope un
der any conditions; personally, I believe if they
are so the occurrence must he most rare. Comparing
the statements concerning the lower
animals with one's own experience among human bei ng s a wide discrepanc y occurs
;
for every grade of heart weakness finds a record in the note book of e
v e r y o b s e r v a n t a n æ s t h e -
tist, provided his hospital experience is larger; nor can the bulk of such cases be attributed
either to primary failure of respiration or careless administration. No doubt maladministra-
tion m ay account for some deaths under chloroform, but not all, since such fatalities have o c
-
curred under the skilled hands of men whose knowledge and experience were great and whose