The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1846-12-18


for Medical improvement, on the
9th instant, announcing discovery
Of great interest. 1t is method OF
mitigating pain in Surgical opera
tons, by the inhalation Of certain
cthcrs. DR.. Morton, of Boston, first
called his attention to it, and though
similar process does not appear to
have been entirely unknown to the
Medical Faculty in former times,
yetnothing like certainty was obtain
ty was obtained in the results Of the
old methods. A great many exper-
iments have been made with the
new, however, in all Of Which tie
attempts TO perform important oper-
ations without inLiicting pain on the
patients, were completely success
iul. Many Of these are described in
Or. Bigelow's p4per, Of which tie
following are specimens:
"a hoy Of sixteen, ofmedium STAT
ire and strength, was seated in TIC
chair. The first few inhalations oe-
casioncd a quick cough, which az
forwards subsidized. At the end of s
minutes tie head fell back, and the
arms dropped; but owing to some re-
sistancc in opening the mouth, tie
tooth could not be reached before
he awoke. lie again inhaled for :
minutes, and slept , minutes, during
which tiue the tooth, orinferior mo-
lar, was extracted. At the moment
Of extraction the features assumed
an expression Of pain, and the hand
was raised. Upon coming TO linn
self lie said he had had first rate
dream-very quiet, and dreamed OF
Napoleon; had not the slightest con
seriousness Of Of pain; the time seem
ed longs and lie left the chair feel
ing no uneaSincss Of any kind, and
evidently in a high state Of admira-
ton. The pupils were dilatcd dur
ing the state Of inconsistencies, and
the pulse rose from 1870 to ll2.
GA girl of lG Immediately occu-
pied the chair. After coughing a
little, she inhaled during tlrce min
utes and fell asleep, when a mo!ar
tooth was extracted; after whiclr she
continued to Siumbcr TRANQUILITY dur
ing three minutes more. Il the mo-
ment when force was applied she
llinched and frowncd, raised her
hand TO her mouth, but sad she lad
been dreaming a pleasant dream,
and knew nothing of the operation.
" \ stout boy Of II, at the first in
SEPARATION cougJed considerably, and
required a good deal Of encourage
mcnt to induce him to 90 on. st the
end of three minutes from the ,irst
Inhalation the MUSCLES were rclaXed
and the pupil dilatcd. During the
attempt to force open his mouth he
again inhaled during two minutes,
ana in the ensuing one minute two
teeth were extracted, the patient
seeming somewhat conscious; but.
upon actually awaking, lie declared
1T was the best fan he ever saw
avowcd his intcation Of coming there
again, unfinished upon having an
other tooth extracted upon the spot.
\ splinter which had been left, af-
lorded an opportunity of complJ ing
with his wish, but the pain proved to
be considerable. Pulse at first, lie,
during sleep, SO, afterwards IA;
pupils dilatcd.
" The next patient was a healthy
looking middlc-oged woman, who
inhaled the yapor for four minutes
in the course ofthc next two minutes
i back tooth was extracted, and the
patient confined smiling in her sleep
for three minutes more. Pulse l2Oi
not affected at the mOmont Of the
operation, but smaller during sleep.
Upon coming to herself, she cXclaim-
ed that lit was beautiful she dream
ed Of being at homc-it seemed as il
she had been gone a month";
These eases, which occurred sue.
ccssirely in about an hour, at the
room Of DR.. Morton, are fair exam
pies Of the average results produced
by the inhalation Of the yapor, and
will convey an idea of the feelings
and expressions of many Of the pa
tients subjected to the process. Dir.
Morton states that in upwards Of two
hundred patients, similar effects have
been produced. The inl alation, aG-
ter the first irritation has subsidized,
is easy, and produces IA complete
Inconsistencies at the expiration Of
period varying from two to five OF
six, sometimes s minutes during
which the patient is completely in.
sensible 10 the ordinary tests of pain
Eminent S0cccSy.-Murrying
,vn,,,, ,,r,;,st b,r coll