Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1841-1853, 1847-04-08
The Inhalation of the Vap0r Of Sulphu-
L. m.

said and written regarding mode of obvlatng the
pain which felt by patients during the performance
Of surgical operations; and very great number Of
experiments Of they may be calleS) have been
tried both in this country and in Europe, with view
10 test the efficacy Of the process.
The plan adopted is to cause the patient TO inlale
the vaPor of suphuric ether, which has the property
Of acting the of sensation, to render
the person totally insensible to wounds with knife
or other instrument. This insensibility pain, how
ever, does not remain present for any length OF time,
but OF course, II be kept up by repeated nhala-
tOns of the vapor of ether The action of the vapor
when repred, Is IN one respect similar to that which
Is observed in the respiration of the prooxide of nj
trogen it is popularity termed the laughing
gas. Neither OF them give rise to those reactive
symptoms which observed TO follow the use of
binary stmulants- The property of the vapor of sui
phurc ether, which il now so generally known, has
long been known to chemists and pharmacentists, in
fIct, numerous scientific men have remarked it. Du-
ring the winter of 1916, Nj. Ducros, of Paris, made
report this very subject TO the Academic des Sci
ence of Paris, and arrived at the following conclu-
sions:-
physiological effects of sulphurc ether, admins
tered by friction the mouth and faucus.
i. Sulphuric ether, employed in frictions the
mouth aud faucus, causes, in gallinaceous animals,
instantaneous sleep, characterized by closing of the
eyes, and setting up (hissemenD of the feathers.
2 If morphn, acetate Of morphia extract of OPT
being augmented, is Instantly destroyed; whence NJ.
Ducros concludes that. in the ganacee, opiates ere
the antidotes to sulphuric ether.
3. If ether be given in poisoning by opium the
symptoms of poisoning are increased.
4. The sOp0rIferous effects of ether thus admins
tered to fowls, also manifested in other animals,
and in man.
o. In cases of hypochondrIasis attended with want
of Sleep with wandering pains in the chest and abdo-
men, sulPhuric ether employed in frictons on the
tongue, velum pendulum, tonsils, and back of the
pharynx, procures agreeable sleep and Gains the
pains, and especially possesses these advantages In
the midst of nervous excitement when narcotics only
tend to augment the general irritabllity.
b. Ii the commissions of pregnant or collaborating
women, in the commissions of the born, in hys-
terica attacks, in epllepform paroxysms complica-
ted with trsmus, Setting Of tine teeth and spasm of
the esophagus, where swallowing is impracticabe,
If the cavity of the mouth and parnyx rubbed by
means of cames hair pencil dipped in sulphurc ether
the nervous attacks which, by long DURATION might
prove fatal, may generally be arrested"
We extract the foregoing from the .JOurndlQf Ned
seine, published in New York. 1t may be found in
its 10Th number, dated September 1916, and the Jour
nal Of Medicine az ain credits it TO the English Pro
vincial Medical and Surgical Journal May 6, 1916.
Undoubtedly the somniferous results which Nj. Du-
found to attend the rubbing of ether the auces
and mouth were owing to the great volatility Of that
substance, 1t being at vaporsable, and thus
splred II produced It's effects
Though these effects have thus been known, par
ucular advantage was taken of them until DR.. Nor
ton, dentist of Boston, conceived the idea that they
might be made available during operations On trial
he fosnd such to berthe case. Operations were per-
formed in the hospital there and conclusive evidence
was obtained Of Its great utility in these cases.
patent taken out for the discovery and the Lee
theOn," it termed by the patentees, at
once set before the public, the article for enabling
patients to support surgical operations without being
conscious of them.
The application of ether TO this purpose soon tray
eled across the Atlantic and we are now Just receiv-
ing back the reports OF success and adoption there
We find an extensive nee of It's in the Lon
don Lancet for this month"; as republished in this city
by Messrs Burgess, Stringer 81 Co. 1t is an admira-
bic PERIODICAL and well worthy of per SAL it may
be looked upon the headquarters of all that doing
IN medicine and surgery in England 1t contains re-
ports of all the best lectures delivered in the English
schools, and in fact, is in itself perfect resume of
the English medical world. In that number of the
Lancet there the details of thirty operations
performed in England by some of the most eminent
surgeons there. They took place in Kings College
Guys, Westminster, and St. Thomas hospitals Lon
don and at the Bristol General Hospital; and to
snow the degree of insensibiity induced, extract
the account of one case at Guys Hospital:
Jan. 18th, l547.-Two patients were operated or
to-day whilst under the influences ether, inhaled
one case OF lthotomy, by Mr.. Morgan, the other
case of strangulated ing ,ika hernia, by Mr.. Key
There were presenty Mr.. galloway, Mr.. Cock. Mr.
Hilton. and other officers of e hospital, in the dense
lY crowded theatre by students and professional
The subject of the stone Casa boy about fourteen
years old-had few days before, been put under the
influence of the ether very satisfactorily for the pur
pose OF avoiding the intense pain he had a previ
Gus occasion suffered by the introduction of the sound
he rendered quite insensibe to the pain-indeed
be had not felt the sounding To-day, alarmed by TIN
number of persons present. he for some time refuses
when on the operation table, "a to take his pipe"
he termed it but ultimately, yielding % masocita
tions of those about him. he inhaled somewhat irreg
ularly from apparatus, under the direction of Mr.
Robinson, for about three four minutes, when ht
became perfectly UNCONSCIOUS, breathing slowly ant
The face much congested During the persistence o
that condition, Mr.. Morgan begdnsnd completed tn
operation in about two minutes, without the slghtes
manifestation of pain by the patient. Vapor of am
monIa and other stimuants were used as soon as thu
operation was finished The patient was taken from
the theatre In insensible state In a few minute
he recovered from insensibty, after being in his bed
but continued confused for some time. On being toll
that the operation concluded, he did believ
1t, as he had not felt any hing; still persistng in hi
doubts, the stone shown to him, yet lie disbeeved
saying, No, no, that won't do that stone neve
coined from |, | know :"
The remaining operations generally went off a
satisfactorily this one, though in case ST
Thomas Hospital. dangerous symptoms made thei
appearance.
IAN e.-The ether was first inhaled by patient
strong man, Of full habit with disease Of the hand
requiring operation. The inhalation was performe
BY means Of Mr. Hooper's apparatus, as devised b.
Dr. Boot and Mr.. Robinson, and perfect nsensbilit
was produced There were, however, SO much cough
ing. turgidty of the face quickened circulation witt
dilation Of the pupils, threatening congestion of tn
brain and lungs that il was not thought proper by DR.
nd NJ do hal