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No. 151 brings out similar facts, namely, that when chloroform is pushed, whether the
nose and mouth be hold or not, the blood-pressure and there is the additional fact that this
seems to depend very little on the action of the vagi. Thus, soon after the beginning of the
trace there is the note "stop nose and mouth", which is followed by a slight fall. One minute
after this the Fick tracing 3 shows great slowing of the pulse. Then the vagi are cut. Chloro-
form is given at 3·55, and there is the usual fall, to be followed by a rise when the chloroform
is stopped. The pressure rises till 3·58, when Fick 4 is taken. After this the nose and mouth
are again held, but there is little effect on the pressure for more than two minutes, after which
the fall is somewhat rapid (from Fick 4 to Fick 6) till the nose and mouth are again set free.
This shows the true asphyxia curve, the fall in pressure not occurring for two minutes after the
respiration was obstructed.
No. 148 is mentioned as an example of asphyxia by obstructing the nose and mouth,
and the tracing is described as "identical" with our A. We recognise a resemblance to our
trace in the Fick tracings 2 and 6, but in these the chloroform is being pushed, and there is
no obstruction to the respiration. The place where there is such obstruction is before Fick 17.
At 3·54·15 we have "asphyxia by holding mouth", and there is a gradual fall for three-quarters
of a minute, when Fick 17 is taken. The Fick tracing does not show the fall, and has no
particular resemblance to our A, while the Ludwig trace shows that the fall here is, as in other
cases of asphyxia, greatly slower than ours, taking three-quarters of a minute to accomplish a
less fall than was attained in ours in about seven seconds. (Note that the drum in our obser-
vations revolved very much faster than in theirs. The time is given by a chronograph showing
half-seconds in our Trace C.)
We turn now to our own tracings, from the examination of which the Hyderabad Commis-
sion infers that the sudden fall in blood-pressure is due to asphyxia. It has been indicated
above that the fall in blood-pressure due to asphyxia is not sudden, but follows some time
after the interruption to the respiration. This applies to our tracings; but besides that, they
show in their very form that there was here no asphyxia. In order that our statements may
be followed we reproduce the Tracings A and C.
In Trace A it will be observed that the beginning of the fall is associated with what we
take to be a respiratory curve, that is to say, after the fall has begun, as shown by the sudden
dip, there is a gradual rise with five pulsations of the heart which is clearly identical with the
respiratory curves further on in the trace, when the pressure is beginning to rise (see A, con-
tinued). It is to be noted that this tracing was taken at a time when the administration of
chloroform had been stopped for two minutes.
If any doubt exists as to Trace A, none can exist as to Trace C. This records an
observation on the same dog as Trace A, made on the same day after a partial recovery of the
animal, and it forms a continuation of the same tracing. Two things will be observed in this
tracing. In the first place, it is definitely noted on the sheet "Respiration continues",
although the heart is at a standstill. But, in the second place, the curve itself shows that there