The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1847-11-30 00:00:00

EXPERIMENTS WITH CHLOROFORM.

Several important and most painful operations were
performed on Thursday, at the Workhouse Hospital, by
Dr. F. H. Brett, in the presence of the staff, and other
gentlemen, when the new agent for producing insensibility
was administered with entire success in the following
cases :

The first was the case of Elizabeth Birch, aged twenty-
two, affected for years with inversion of the eyelids
(Eutropion), causing inflammation of the eye, by the
constant irritation of the lashes against the globe. It
was necessary to make a perpendicular incision at the
outer angle of the lids, and to excise a portion of the
skin of the upper eyelid, to introduce a suture, and par-
tially to evert the lid by means of a ligature passed through
the margin of the lid, this last being secured on the fore-
head by strips of adhesive plaster. The patient was in a
state of perfect insensibility the whole of the time.
The second was a case of strabismus.

The third a hydroeele, which after tapping, was followed
by injection of the sac, with a solution of iodine.
soft nature, the dfiliffig-ficeffibcrfnitotrgirtiecbriag,"ty
means of a delicate needle, was selected, the fluid portion
of the soft lenticular body being freely exposed to solution
in the aqueous humour.
The fifth case was that of dividing the tendons behind
the knee-joint, (the ham-strings) in both legs of Bridget
Maekle. The woman had been a cripple for three years,
bent double, and bed-ridden—the legs are now straight,
and are to be kept on splints for a short time.
The sixth case was that of a young woman, named
Elizabeth Felliwell, who had been discharged from the
hospital as incurable, from recto-vaginal communication,
complicated with several tumours deeply situated. The
parts being freely exposed by the speculum, a clean
wound was made of the former, and the morbid growths
completely extirpated. No operation could well be
conceived more painful than this, under ordinary circum-
stances, yet the, poor girl was taken to her bed, in a
perfect trance, and was quite unconscious:of any part of
the operation.
The 7th case was precisely of a similar nature in a
young woman named Ann M'Ney. She had been much
debilitated, but, under remedies to improve her constitu-
tional powers, nourishing diet and wine, she was sufficiently
restored in health to undergo the operation. The cholor-
form, however, happily saved her from any knowledge of
the operation. She awoke complaining bitterly that she
was not to undergo the operation which she had been so
long promised was to relieve her from a complaint, the
most distressing to which a female can be subjected, until
she was assured that all was over.
The eighth, and last, was a case of scrofulous disease of
the knee joint, in which it was necessary to remove the
limb in a girl, aged six years. This child knew nothing
of what was going to be done—the chloroform kept her
in utter insensibility of what was done, and she only
awoke to be conscious of the absence of a limh, the seat
of protracted disease, which had nearly exhausted her
vital powers.
Doctor Burgess administered the chloroform, merely
applying it on lint to the mouth and nostrils,whilst Drs.
Gee, Bride, and Mr. J. Ferguson, with their usual tact
and humanity, rendered every requisite assistance.
The patients, on coming, to, seemed to be excited in a
manner not dissimilar from the effects of an overdose of
champagne.

TIIEATRE ROYAL, WILLIAMSOI4-SCLITARE.—The per-
formances of this establishment during the week have been
of a more than equally interesting character, introducing
to us, in addition to the well known vocal talent of Miss
Rainforth and Mr. Stretton, one of the most accomplished
singers of his day, Mr. Travers. We had frequent occa-
sions of speaking of this young gentleman, when, four or
five years ago, he was a member of the regular Liverpool
Company. At that time he was full of promise; and
since his return from the Continent, where he has been
studying, that promise has been more than fulfilled.
He possesses a splendid voice, full and perfectly trained ;
and his manner as an actor is graceful and correct. There
is more than the mere singer in his performance. The
soul appears to be thrown into every note which he ut-
ters ; and his fine appreciation of the spirit of the com-
poser is evident throughout. Mr. Travers (we wish he
had adhered to his family name of Romer) has a success-
ful career before him ; and we can only express our won-
der that, as a townsman, he has not drawn more crowded
houses ; doubtless, he would have done had his great
'merits been better known. . .

ROYAL AMPHITHEATRE.—The important improvements
at this theatre having been completed,—the first appear-
ance, in England, of the Royal French Equestrian com-
pany, from the Champs Elysees, Paris, made their dead
on Saturday evening. The company consists of nearly
one hundred performers, with a band of thirty-three
musicians. The horses are innumerable, and all fine
animals, admirably trained. The dresses of the company
are gorgeous and varied, and the trappings of the horses,
properties, and other appurtenances and decorations cor-
respondingly magnificent. The activity, skill, and grace
displayed by the whole troupe in many of the principal
cities of Europe and America, in equestrian and other
entertainments of a novel and striking-character, has won
them golden opinions, and from what we have seen of
them here, we doubt not but they will add to their former
laurels, and their merited gains. The audiences who have
yet seen them in our town have evinced their unbounded
approbation, and acknowledge that they have redeemed
equestrian and other attendant performances from the
vulgarity which has hitherto more or less characterised
them, and imbued them with a taste and propriety truly
chaste and classical. The voltigeurs are excellent in their
line, the best, indeed, we have seen. The Indian ball by
AI. Felix is most extraordinary. The Leap of Streamers by
M. Caroline Ducos is surprising. This young lady, who
has great personal charms, exhibits wonderful powers as a
rider—outstripping all former competitors in the art, and
may be called the prima donna of female, equestrians
throughout the world. The comic act of "the incredible,"
by. M. Aurial, must be seen to be credited. Amongst the
other crack performers, we have but room to name the
Messrs. Loisett, A. Nieff, also the extraordinary dwarf
Hidalgo, little Marie Anato,•a perfect sylphe, and young
Auriol. All who delight in splendid spectacles and extra-
ordinary feats of skill and agility in horsemanship should
lose no time in visiting tie Amphitheatre.