The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1853-08-06
Prom The N. Y. Tribune.
From The N. 7. Tribune.
On the Fatal Effects OF Chlor0form-By Prof.
HcrsfOrd, OF Cambridge.


The occasional deaths that have occurred In medical
practice from the OF sthec agents have. within the
last years. attracted large measure OF attention. IL
" earnestly maintained by some IN inns country that
ether had been employed In all cases without injurious
effects. and that the disastrous consequences were soy
ehloroo; while in England the TWO agents were
held the Inverse order OF esteem Others IN this countY
ads coated the OF choc ether ~ the persuasion that
il was safer; while il generally believed by those
who had most 10 with these agents that The fatal results
due 10 dosyncraces OF temperament on the part OF
the patient or 10 want OF attention and
Judgment on the part OF the physician There has been
expressed the opinion that The injurious effects of chic
rofom due volatile body accompanying the chloro
torm and derived from the action OF bleaching salt upon
Fusel ola constituent oil most inferior acohols. Ii
conceived that this body need be present only in very
small quantity to produce the fatal effects
1t was maintained by otherst that choToform was sus
cep,ble OF undergoing spontaneous change and becoming
thereby unsafe Tor respiration.
In the midst of this variety OF explanations OF the i'll
effects OF anHsthec agents. there appeared in the market
from lime to lime chofofom impossible to Inhale from
the presence OF free chlorine and hydrochloc acid and
another, which, though not difficult TO nhale, found
upon close examination yield offensive and unusual
odor as Of something pu,Iid The latter may be easily
purified by repeated agitation with suphurc acid, and
the subject OF experiment BY Gregory 10 whom we
indebted Tor the method of ils publication. The for
variety has not hitherto SO far as am aware been
the subject OF special experimental inquiry.
The following investigation was undertaken with
view to determine the nature OF this variety Of bad chic
reform, under what circumstances might be procured,
and how made pure and further 10 determine how lar the
fatal effects OF the administration due 10 alleged i'm
pur,es, and how far to other causes which have been
suggested above.
The sample of bad chloroform which was made the
subject OF experiment received from Or. John Cur
rie an eminent pharmaceulist OF New York. Ii was
contained ground stoppered bottle, and was not
quite full The space above the liquid, AID The liquid It,
self, presented yeouish green lnge. Floating upon
the surface OF the chloroorm was Thin layer OF deep
yellow color OF oleagnous consistency which, when the
vessel agated. separated into gobues as OIL would
agilated with water. Upon opening the flask il yielded
strong odor Of chlorine and hydrochorE acid.
quantity OF this bad chloroiorm, placed in an nvert
ed test tube over mercury, yielded and more gas
products, at first OF decidedly gretnsh tnge but
becoming in few days coIorless. dspng and forcing
nine months several cubic inches hare been evolved
from cubic inch OF the liquid AS might have been
peced, chlorine and hydrochorc acid could be entirely
Withdrawn by dislillaon from soda line. quanuly
pu rited nine months since is pertectly good.
Another quantity in contact with cotton fibre Candle
wick) in few days became perfectly pure, and has so
remained.
better and a thoroughly practical and simplet meth
cd was discovered by the late DR.. Dwight OF Moscow,
New York Oi this method will speak more espe.
having remarked in the letter accompanying the
parcel from Dr. Curre, that the chloroform had been
punhed by Glegorys process 1t occurred 10 me that the
and that this might have taken part in lis tendency 10 de-
cay. 10 ascertain ii any form OF sulphur might be pres
ent IN the yellow oil oang on the surface II was treat
ed with tuning nitric acid and soluble salt OF baTyia
but yielded no precipiiaie.
To ascertain If any nitrogen had by possibility taken
on the form of ammonia, and were sh present, other
portions OF the oily matter were with some OF the chic
rolom, carefully separated and evapoaled with platinum
solution, to tyness They did not yield trace OF pal.
Saammonac
Unfortunately. the quantity loo small al first for guam.
utave analysis, only sufficient 10 enable 10 OBJ
serve that portion OF II stalled under certain CIR
cumstances. Asupon application 10 the gentleman who
had 50 kindly furnished the article experimental with,
found that was to be ObtaneI there remained
only the alternative OF attempting to reproduce the bad
chloroorm.
The atmosphere above the liquid as ahov. remark ed
contained chlorine and bydrochlorc acid and the chloo
form was colored pale yellow, with shade Of green
These were the Indications by which experiment was &c
choToiorm due to The presence of Fuse oil in the
alcohol, chloroioTn was made with alcohol containing
this OIL IN various pIopoions the water alcohol ant
bleaching salt being taken ~ the proportion given BY
Dumas. In all cases the resulting cborolorm good
The Fuse oil OF the apolbecarIes, treated with wate
and bleaching salt in all respects as il were alcohol
with view to the production Of choroIom, gave pro,
duct nearly like pure Fusel oil IN SMELL and having
specific gravity in these several preparations of
0S236
o S225
OS224
while that OF pure Fuse oil is 0 sl2i II gave OF chic
rine IS per cent. when evsporaed TO dryness with
soda- me the chlorine in which had been previously de
termined. This doubtless due 10 the choroform de
rived from the of alcohol still present in the Fuse
OIL
That such mi ht have been expected the result viii
slightly soluble water. and would OF course, from the
outset, float on the surface OF the mixture
Experiments made with alcohol to which added
impure mshyl alcohol (wood spiriD gave good chloro
form
Experiments with the product of disllaiion resulting
from the mixture of pure Fusel OIL water, and bleaching
salt, upon man and inferior animals, were made unde
quite varied circumstances
practising physician, accustomed TO the admlnstra
ton OF chooform inhaled the vapor OF This product fo
fourteen minutes without any marked aneslhec effect
any other effect than slight irritation oil the broDchla
tubes
Two rats one full grown, were successively subjected
TO the of this agent, poured upon facilitate
evaporation, the u OF coton and the animal being placed
on the bottom OF covered becker glass The air was
newed from time 10 time with the aid oil a bellows. A
The end Of hour s',hec effect had been pro
duced upon the fulgrown rat and at the end OF forty
minutes OF the smaller animal They were then
exposed 10 the action OF the vapor OF choroom, and
less than two minues were insensble.
The experiment was repeated with kittens about a
week old. with like results, except that they were Longer
in becoming nsensible.
On subsequent day, two kittens were exposed to the
vapor OF the above body each under separate bell
while two others. in all respects similarly situated ex
cep that the latter breaihed merely confined air for
hour without it's being apparent that The vapor had pro-
duced any aeleterious effect When taken out all sp
peared quite alike far activity concerned, oil
disposition to seek legitimate nourisbmeDt
At period several weeks later the experiments were
repeated with the same kittens, in the use of fresh
preparation OF The above body. repeatedly distilled from
chloride of calcium. There was in the course OF an
hour appreciable lethargic effect, which
marked where confined air alone inhaled but in nc
instance attained ssch degree tina, upon the removal oil
the bell glasses The animals did nj resume unim
pared, the possession of all their powers.
These experiments led TO The conviction that Fusel oil
NH afpdo IN ms r