The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1860-01-25
: .s.xM.sY..f nt...,.,x.,,..

The Paris correspondent o. the New xorl
HNah saVa t6n tn medical faculty q Parfl
are now earnesfly engaged In experimenting
upon new method OF anesthesia, which
promises, TO certain extent, to do away with
the use Of chloroform In surgical operations
and a. the system has been introduced, and
the experiments are now being made by regu.
lar physicians and surgeons in high standing
the statements OF the results are not only OF
interest, but entitled to great respect. The
new mode or producing sleep and insensibiity
consists in placing a small, brilliant objec'
before the eyes OF the person upon whom tbs
cx pertinent is to be made, a few inches before
the root Of tho nose. SO that the patient cannot
regard 1t without squirting. The eyes beine
fixed upon this object, the pupils immediately
commence contracting, bat soon afterwards
diate, and in from one to five minutes state Of
ca,alepsy is produced, SO that The limbs of the
patient, being raised or bent in any position.
remain fixed as they are plaeed. This, how
ever, 10 only the most unimportAntp portion OF
the phenomena produced. Insensibility to
pain ensues, during which surgical operations
may be performed without the knowledge OF
the patient aud without the exhibition of as
IN UGH sign of sensation as is usually exhibited
under the influence Of chloroform. Doctor
AZAN, of Bordeaux, and NJ BRoCCA, of Paris,
were the first to call the atten ton of the fac
ul;y to these extraordinary facts. The cele-
brateG surgeon, VELPEAU, comm unica ted them
TO the Surgical Society, aud recommended
that experiments should be made. as they have
been, by NJ. VELPEAu, NJ. FoLLrN, VERMEUIL,
FAURE, TRoussEAU, DENoNvILiKRs, NELA-
TON, AzAM, ROBIN, and other surgeons in the
hos ltaiS of ~.
great subject of the day.
The Gdaeste deS HosPttaeux gives descrip-
ton of cases already experimental on, and
which were witnessed by the correspondent
Of the Heraid, who says he can vouch for their
perfect correctness
the irst' subject saws the Gaz stte. ''wss n wo
burn on her back and lower limbs, with Il large and
very painful abscess Exhausted by pain, and be
much the openns Of the the aSscess. She was told
that she was 10 he put to sleep. little copper crl
tres fhetween five and SIX inches) in front of the
root oil the nose. The patient, in order to fix her
eyes upon this object. was obligedto squint strong
y, and the pupis were soon powerfu!s contracted
ne pulse, -aiready rapid, was at first slightly ac
celebrated but immediately afterward became much
more feeble and niIch slower. At the end of two
minutes the phoIls commenced to d,late, and the
lei, arm raised almost perpendculary above the
bed, renamed fixed IN that position Ia less than
Tour minutes the responses were slow and almost
painful, but perfectly sensible. The respiration
was short and quick, AT tn, end of FIVE minutes NJ,
t"lin prIcsed the skin of the left arm which was
SUI, rena ann, IN vert cal position. another
patient The right arm was placed in the same
position as the other. aud the abscess was uncov-
cred LIE patent maxim! n lesistance but saving
very TRANQUILITY that they were going II hut her,
At the END ot seven minutes from the commence
ment of the experiment. NJ. rollin opened the
apscess low cry. which continued less than
second. vas the only ssn of reaction which the
patient gave The was mt the sli7 htest CULVER
two arms remained AS they we without the least
displacement and retained their position for sew
position was still the same; the ewes were widely
open and slightly moistened, the face was motion
ration perfectly free. the patient remaining insen
sbe. The left heel was raised AMI remained sus-
the limbs continued.
NJ. Brocca now took away the copper cylinder,
which all this time had been kept before the eyes
of the patient He then gently rubbed the eyelds
and blew upon them. upon which the patti mt NOV
ed slightly and was asked if anything had been
done to her. to which she ped. that she knew OF
nothing. Up to this time the three limbs remained
II the attitude which had been given them An
other punctnre was made upon the left arm, which
the patient do not perceive.
Eighteen minutes after the commencement Of
the eXn Pc. ard twelve minutes after, The
md b"wn upon again, upon which the parent
awakened almost instantly, ana the risid limbs
'ell at once. The patient rubbed her and be-
came perfect. sensible. She remembered nothing
which had occurred, and WAS astonIshed to hear
W. To certain point is comparable TO that of per-
sons coni,nE out o. an ordinary anesthetic sleep;
but the wa k M was much more prom pit, and v It'll
"ut agitation or oquacIty. Tho anesthesii had
coninned at least twelve or fifteen minutes
The same pat ent wss placed oond time in
hy pnotic condition. which WAS reach. d more rap
}dly than before. At the end ot two minutes the
arms were pi tced catalep,ic state. and the pa
trent did n, feel the puncrnre Of pms which were
made in the rght arm. The waking. which was
spontaneous, was prompt, and no new features
were manifested
Other cases equally remarkable are infinitely
described The discovery is not new one
having been made some eighteen years since
by a Scotch surgeon named BRAID, who wrote
book upon the subject, entitled "Neury-
prodigy, or the Rationale of Nervous Sleep.
considered in relation to Animal Magnetism.
Il. d. OWEN refers TO this book in his recent
work. " FOOTBALLS on the Boundary of Another
World" and relates some extraordinary effects
produced upon Mr.. BRAID's subjects.
ACCIDENT.-On Monday last, Mr.. VIM. II
Oliver a saiIrnaker fell from The rear door of