The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1847-03-14
1877 dem. minority
The Inhalation or the vapor OF Sulphur
Ether.


Ether.
Within the last few months great deal has been said
and written regarding mode of obviating the PAL n
winch iet by patients during the performance Of
gicai operations and very great number Of expert
ments III they may be called have been tried both
IN tn country and in Europe, with view to test the
efficacy ofthe process
Inc plan adopted Is to cause the patient to inhals the
supnurs ether, which has the property of 80
ae on the nerves OF sensation to render the person
TOTALLY insensibe to wounds with knife or other
msnt This insensblity to pain however, does not re.
main present for any length of time but of course II
can DO kept up by repeated Of the vapor of
ether The action ofthe vspor when respired il in ono
respect similar to that which 10 observed in the respira
ton Of the protoxide Of nitrogen Is popu.
nriy termed, the laughing gus Neither Of them give
fise to those reacve symptoms which observed to
follow the of ordinary smulants The property of
the vapor Of suphuric ether which is now 90 generally
known, has long been known to chemists and pharma
ceutists in fact numerous scientific have remarked
It, During the winter of 1916, NJ Duoros of Paris made
report on this very subject to the Academic dss
Sciences Of Paris and arrived at The following conclu.
sions
fhysoloRcal effects of sulphuric ether administer.
ed ~ friction on the mouth and fauces.
Suphuric ether, employed in frictions the mouth
ana auces causes in gainaceous animals instantaneous
sleep characterized by closing of the eyes, and setting
up QissenenO of the feathers.
be given during this slsep the sleep instead of being
sugme1ted 10 instantly destroyed whence M. Ducros
"a that IN the sainaces opiae' are tho anti
II ether BE- given in poisoning by opium, the symp-
TLs sopores a5S esct: a. Tim.
20 iowis are also manifested in other animals and in
g. In of hypochondriasis attended with want of
sieeP with wandering pains in the chest and abdomen
su,pnurc ether employed IN frictions on the tongue
cures agreeable sleep and Gains the pains and espe
possesses these advantages in the midst Of
sacnement when narcotics only tend to augment tho
o. In the convulsions of pregnant or child bearing
women in the convulsions of the born in hysteri
rismus tsstng OF the teeth and spasm Of the sopha.
gus wneo swallowing impracticabe, if the cavity Of
har and be rubbed by means Of cames
rally be arrested"
We extract the foregoing from the Journal of Medi-
ene published in this city 1t may be found in its Goth
number dated September ls46 and the Journal of Me-
d'osne again credits it to the English Provincial Medical
and Surgical Journal, May g. 1886. Undoubtedly the
somnsrous results which NJ Ducros found to attend the
rubbing OF ether the fauces and mouth were owing
to the great volatility of that substance being at once
vaporisabe and thus respired produced its effects
Though these effects have thus bsen known, no par
ucuiar advantage was taken Of them until DR.. Morton
dentist Of Boston conceived the idea that they might be
made available during operations On trial, he found
SUCH to be the case Operations performed in the
hospital there and conclusive evidence was obtained of
its great utility in these patent was taken out
for the discovery and the as it was termed
oy the patenees, was at once set before the public %
the article for enabling patients to support surgical ope
ration' without being conscious of them.
The application Of ether TO this purpose soon travelled
In toptc orJ
the reports OF its success and adoption there
We find an extensive notice of it's use In the London
Lancet for this month, as republished in this city by
Messrs Burgess S,rnger Co. It s an admirable peri
odcal and we'll worthy of perusa as ii may be looked
upon as the headquarters of all that doing in medicn
ond surgery ia England It contains reports of all the
best lectures delivered in tho English schools and
in fact, is in itself perfect resumS of the Eng
lsh medical world. In that number of tho
Lancet there the details of some thirty operation,
performed in England BY Of the most eminent sur
geons there They took place in Kings College Guys,
Westminster, and st. Thomas hospitals London and s
tho Bristol General Hospital and to show the degree of
insensby induced extract the account of one case
at Guys Hospital -
Jan 18th, ls47-Two patients were operated on
to-day whilst under the Influence of ether inhaled one
case OF lithotomy, by Mr. Morgan the other case Of
stranguated guinal hernia, BY Mr. Key There were
present, Mr. Galloway, Mr. Cock Mr. Hilton, and other
officers OF the hospital in the densely crowded theatre
by students and professional men
The subject OF the stone Casa boy about fourteen
years od-had, few days BEFORE been put under the
influence OF the ether very satisfactorily for the purpose
OF avoiding the intense pain he had previous oeca-
sion suffered by the introduction Of the sound He ives
rendered quite iDsensble to the painndeed he had
felt the sounding To-day, alarmed by the number of
persons present. he for some time refused when the
operation table, to take his pipe" as he termed but
yielding to the solicitations of those about
him. he inhaled, somewhat rregularly, from appara
tus under the direction of Mr. Robinson for about
four minutes when he became perfectly unconscious
breathing slowly and the face much cons During
the persistence OF that condition. Mr. Morgan began and
completed the operation in about two minutes without
the slightest manifestation of pain by the patient Vapsr
OF ammonia and other stmuants used as soon a. the
operation was finished The patient taken from the
theatre In an nsensible state In few minutes he
vered from insensiby, after being in his bod but COZ.
tnued confused for some time On being told that the Cd
GRAFTON was concluded, he did not believe IT, az he had
not et any thing still persstiDg in lis doubts the stone
was shown to him, yet he dsbelieved saying no no.
that won't do that stone coined from l. know y
The remaining operations generally wont of as salts
factory as this though in case al st. Thomas
Hospital dangerous symptoms made their appearance
JAN. 9.-The ether was nrst inhaled by a patiept.
strong man, OF full habit with disease of the hand re-
curing operation. The inhalation was performed BY
means OF Mr. Hooper's apparatus, a. devised by Dr.
BOON and Mr. Robinson, and perfect insensbility was
produced There were, however, SO much coughing