The Sun.
London, England, 1847-03-20 00:00:00

FATAL EFFECTS OF ETHER.

A case of considerable importance, as affecting the
practice lately introduced into the medical world of
subjecting persons about to be operated upon to the
influence of ether, by causing them to inhale its
vapour in order to render them insensible to pain, has
just occurred at Spittlegate, in the county of Lincoln,
bin which death has resulted from that mode of treat-
ment. It appears that a respectable woman of the
name of Ann Parkinson, aged twenty-one years, the
wife of -a hairdresser at Spittlegate, who had been
married eighteen months, and had a child nine months
old, had been afflicted with a tumour on the under part
of her left thigh for about twelve months, which had
gradually increased in size until, from its situation,
it became a perpetual torment to her, as she was
unable either to sit dower or lie in bed wk.b
.any
degree of comfort. Under these circumstances, having
read of the many successful cases of operations per-
formed without pain under the influence of the vapour
of ether, she expressed a wish to her medical attendant,
Mr. Robbs. of Grantham, to have ether applied,
and the tumour removed. To this, after consult-
ing other medical men, he consented ; and on Tuesday,
the 9th inst., at one o'clock, she was subjected to the
influence of the ether, and the operation was performed
by Mr. Robbs in the presence of three other medical
men. Unfortunately, however, the poor woman never
rallied, but remained in a state of complete prostration
until five o'clock on Thursday morning, when she died
without the slightest reaction having taken place subse-
quent to the operation.

At the inquest, held on Monday, evidence was given
that the deceased was of an extremely delicate constitu-
tion, and that ether was administered to her several
times previous to the day
,fixed upon for the operation,
in order to try its effects, and she was found to bear it
very well. On the appointed day, Mr. Robbs (who
acknowledged he had no faith in the ether part of the
affair) performed the operation, in the presence of seve-
ral medical man. For about ten minutes Mrs. Parkin-
son was reduced to a state of unconsciousness, when
the operation of removing the tumour commenced, and
she appeared to feel the first cut, as she made a deep
moan, whereupon ether was again applied. The ope-
ration proceeded during the time the vapour was in-
haling the second time. Mrs. Parkinson was laid upon
her stomach upon a table, and upon every incision made
during the operation she moaned, and appeared to feel
it ; but, she did not appear to feel anything when the
diff,reitt vessels were being tied up. When she was
taken from the table and laid on the bed, she had a little
brandy and water before the operation was over, which
she swallowed readily, and a little more when she was
put to bed. She did not appear to lose much blood, and
the wound was dressed after the operation and ban-
daged, and when put to bed she appeared to be conscious.
She did not appear to rally at all from that time. On
the following day she remained in the same low state,
,tnd Mr. Hobbs saw her more than once, and tent her
m-ilieine, which was administered, and a little thin gruel
and tea was given her by his directions, which was all
the nourishment she took. On Wednesday she corn-
plaint-A of a numbness in both legs and the lower part
of her back, and hot bottles were applied by Mr. Hobbs'
directions, but she was not relieved. On the Thursday
crloritinc.r. afriut twenty minutes past five o'clock, she
died without uttering a groan. From the time the
operation was performed till her death she never moved
by her own power.
At the conclusion of the evidence, the CORONER, having
duly cautioned Mr. Hobbs. revested to know whether
he was desirous of making any statement relative to the
ease? Up. n which that gentleman described the man-
ner in which the vapour had
2hsadmibneutti:.s:riiillailueddi,n;n;hl
the tying
teat the operatioii a
of the vessels, the remainkler of the time being occupied
by the inhale ion and the necessary bandaging, &c. He
also stated that he believed the deceased felt as much
pain as if she had net inhaled the vapour, as she cried
out and struggled at each cut. He then proceeded to
read accountsof the numerous operations which had been
.terformed by the most eminent surgeons in the public
~ospitails and other places where the ether had been
used with success, and stated that nothing had been
done in this case but what had been fully warranted by
the practice of the leaders of the profession. Ho also
stated that he had attempted to produce reaction by
the exhibition of ammonia and other applications with-
out success.
The CORONER then summed up, and the jury, having
deliberated a short time, pronounced a verdict, " That
the deceased Ann Parkinson died from the effects of the
vapour of ether, inhaled by her for the purpose of alle-
viating pain during the removal of a tumour from her
left thigh, and not from the effect of the operation, or
theef
verdictcase,
e redaiscet Aairs. Rheobibiasdsthaoteddothuhatt
from any other cause."
concurredin
ether alone was the cause of death,
hwhatevereAf fully lltyh the conclusion
tha t the
and it was a duty he owed to the public to say
so.
The verdict was then signed, and
the inquiry termi-
nated.

ALGERIA.---The illoniteur Alg&ien publishes the
following statistic of the European population of the
French possessions in Algeria at the end of the last year :
The total of the populution in the provinces on the
coast is
107,168 souls, of whom 47,974 are French ; 31,528 Spaniards;
9,440 Anglo-Maltese and English: 8,175 Italians; and 5,11
Germans. Of the 107,168 colonists 40,575 are men. 25,089
women, and 41,404 children. Of the 40,675 men,
the muchs
u
greater proportion are in the towns, as not more
than
the land.
be-
tween 4,000 and 5,000 are employed in cultivating
In the army there has been an increase
during
within the last the year of
14,079 souls, of whom 3,858 wereadded
quarter of the year. Of this
proportion of the population,
ci'lltotalovern
amountment , aand
heg
4,352 under the military h
on the coast, 102,816 are undoerritithese.
ant
provinces is 18,925 ; of whom
12,589 are French; 11,0
the population in the inz„,l2er
reunder
the
civil,
and 7,903
d 3,982 children. The same total, therefore,
4,071 women ;
of
an
under the military government. It comprises 10,872 men;
of the European inhabitants of Algeria, at the beginning
125,083, of whom about 12,000 only
the present year,
w"
are
employed in agriculture.