The Union and journal. [volume] (Biddeford, Me.) 1858-1882, 1869-06-04
10 Nssro~s OssSs safer


2lst, an article In reference TO nitrous oxide
gas, which In onr opinion viii give tho public .
wrong impression In regard 10 this anosthetic.
Professor Watt docs not say that pure nitrous
oxide Is injurious But the arrangement OF
the extract from the essay woald lead the public
10 understand that Il 10 the next thing
to an inpossibility to make pure nitrous oxide
gas.
Now the facts In regard TO the purity Of nj
trate of ammonia, from which tho gas b. manu-
facturcd. are that Il Ii prepared by chemists
Just as reliable as those who prepare ethers or
any other angsthctic, Such being the case, the
purity of the gas depends upon Its manufsctur-
ers from the nitrate Of ammonia.
With proper apparatus and knowledge OF
the chemical properties Of the ammonia, and gas
VIC see no reason why any dentist cannot manu-
facturs pure nitrous oxide gas.
Now rs the article In question was obviously
intended to stigmstiIc the use Of nitrous oxide
gas, VIC will give few extracts from reliable
authority In regard 10 II. i....
A. w. Sprngue, A. NJ, author Of elements
Of Natural Philosophy" J" Chemical Manipuls-
tions," &C., says, In answer 70 the question.
els nitrous oxide gas safe i''-''This 10 . ques-
ton 30 often asked that we win giye our answer
In print. We reply, in general terms, that In
our Judgment nitrous orids gas 70 safs inhal-
ant. Like beverages sold under the name OF
coffee. beer, and brandy, IL may ipjure health.
and destroy life even: safety in all these cases
depends on the purity Of the articles and the
manner Of their use. Artificial brandy, "Edg-
cry" beer, and even adultcnted coffee, not only
injure health, but have been known to prove
fatal; and yet we do Dot say that pure brandy,
beer, or coffee, are productive Of immediate dan
ger. Again, taken too freely, without discre-
ton, in wrong states of the body-all these, and
even cold water, have, In numerous cases,
caused sudden death; but who on such facts
condemns their usel"
Every valuable ngent Is entitled to fair
trial. This, nitrous oxide has scarcely had.
Hampercd by crude salts, unsuitable sppAratus.
ignorance, and blundering, Its success has ex-
ccc,ied reasonable expectations even. or the
more than 800, 900 instances where II has been
administered for anesthcsia, during the brief
pcriod since It's introduction to our knowledge,
but three cases Of death from this have been 10
ported, and two OF thes, were under circum.
stances which lcft much doubt as to the real
cause.
A popular lecturer once assured us that In
one of his best exhibitions of laughing gas, tho
delrium was affected by inhAling and cIhsling
from small rubber bag filled only with cir.
At another exhibition by strclling professor
all who inhaled his laughing gas were made
sick. The same professor pronounced us alto.
gothcr too fussy when we cautioned him against
Gas made from cheap nitrate OF ammonis, at
high heat, and only partially washed through
single rude washer. .-.
We might multiply cases where these 'chaip-
lightning compounds have been administered
for pure Nitrous Oxide. But We have said
enough to show the causes Of complaint
which have been preferred against Nitrous
Oxide. Pure Nitrous Oxide, administered with
discretion, comports itself with all systems.
We have inhaled to inscnsibility, that prepared
by ourselves, nearly two hundred times during
the past three years, with beneficial rather than
Injurious results. Mcssrs Fagg & Osgood Of
Boston have given the gas for extracting teeth
more than eleven thousand times without sim
Gle serious result.
On this point Professor Geo. Watt, well known
authority ON all matters pertaining 10 the chem
istry Of dentistry, thus remarks: Never before
did feel 30 strongly the Importance OF using
purc nitrous oxide In our schoolboy days,
when bad results followed the administration Of
laughing gas, the explanation was that some
tempcraments could not bear Il. Now let u bc
remembered, that pure nitrous oxide agrees
with all temperamcnts, and, probably, with oil
conditions Of the constitution. But this must
not be misunderstood. A patient may be afraid
of the gas, or may dread the operation, or from
various causes may be unduly excited at the
time, such patients arc not apt 10 breathe me
Iy. and, therefore the blood Is not decarboniscd
and the system suffers. Then tho apparatus
NAV he arranged 10 as to make breathing dim
cult, Of course the blood win not be duly oxy-
ernatci, AMI the patient Is the worse from the
inhalation. But when pure nitrous oxide Ia
inhaled rs TRANQUILITY rs atmospheric air usually
Is. Il can disagree seriously With no one.
Yours Truly, DAVIS PArrxN.