Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1870-07-27
CHLORAL!
The New Anaesthetic-A Wonderful
Boon to Mankind-Deep Sleep Pro-
duced without After Ill Affects.
Prom the SCIENTIFIC American.

From the Scientific American.
Prof. John Darby, writing for the
american Grocer, anticipates that
not long hence, the vial of chloral will
take its place beside the eamphOr bot
tie and other household remedies, dis
placing, to a great degree, the pare
goric and laudanum. Opium and its
derivatives have held high place in
the esteem of mankind; and, after
centuries ofuse, are to-day more highly
/ priced than ever before. We have felt
consoled, that, in our EXTREMIST
agonies, we had within our reach an
agent that could arrest or mitigate our
sufferings, andgive us ease and quiet.
But connected with the use of opium,
there are sequel@ that are disagreea-
bic. Headaches, sickness of the
stomach, loss of appetite, and other
unpleasant results are sure to follow
| its administration. How much more
highly should we esteem opium if
these unpleasant consequences could
be avoided. If we could command
sleep and not suffer, on waking, as the
price for our rest. If our pains could
be relieved, and our deliverer would
leave no sting behind.
ChlOral seems to fulfill these cOndi-
tions. 1t produces refreshing sleep
from the most stexeruciating pains, and
the sleeper awakes as from a natural
sleep, with no unpleasant symptoms
from the action ofthe chloral.
ChlOral was discovered by Liebig in
1892, and stood more than thirty years
in the list of recorded discoveries, ex-
citing interest outside the field of
chemistry. On the I'd of June, 1869,
it was brought before the Medical
Society of Berlin, Prussia, as a new
hypnotic producer of sleep) and an@s-
thetic, by DIR. Otto Liebreich. Pure
chlOral is colorless fluid, with sharp
pungent taste and odor not disagreea-
BILE. When united with one atom of
water, il becomes white solid, retain
ing its odOr and taste. 1t dissOlves
rapidly In water. 1t is not an anaeS-
thetic, as chloroform, protoxide of nj
trogen and ether are, as it does not
usually produce insensibility when it
produces sleep, unless given in large
quantities. Its true influence is to
produce sleep as naturally as though
they had taken nothing. The cat is
said to lie down, adjust her paw, and
with her accustomed low purr, pass
into the state of sleep, and after five or
six hours wake up naturally, as from
her accustomed slumber. So in the
human subjects, it producesa a peaceful
sleep of any length of time, depend
ing on the dose given.
The following points have been well
established in regard to efficient doses
of the hydrate of ehloral.
l. 1t produces deep sleep quickly
after administration.
2. The action produces no excite
ment.
8. No bad effects result from its
action.
4. The brain first affected, then the
lungs, and lastly the heart. The heart
is said to beat, when fatal doses have
been taken, after all other functions
have ceased.
Extensive experiments have been
made on the lower animals to develope
the properties of chloral and they
have all been in conformity to the
above principles. We select the fol-
lowing cases reported in European
journals. An insane person, ina high
state of excitement, was put to sleep in
few minutes by twenty grains and
slept five hours. A woman with q
painful Inflammation of the wrist
joint, was put to sleep by forty grains
of chloral. A lady suffering internally
from an intraetable attack of sciatica,
who could not be relieved by NOR
phine an atropa, took thirty grains Of
chloral which produced a night Of
perfectly tranquil sleep, from which
she awoke fresh and well as from a
natural slumber. A lady suffered from
prolonged neuralgia, and all ordinary
sedatives proved unavailing, when
forty grains of choral produced imme-
diate relief.
In nervous excitement, preventing
sleep, chloral acts with promptness
and with no evil results. tits evident
ly invaluable in a severe pain result
ing from rheumatism, neuralgia,
sprains or disloeation. 1t reduces the
animal temperature, and affords relief
in cases of fever attended with rest
lessness and excitement. Itproduces
muscular relaxation, and must afford
relief in the horrid torture produced
by the passage Of gall stones or the
gravel from the kidneys.
The action of chloral on the system
is supposed to depend on the chemical
fact that alkalies decompose and pro-
duce chloroform and formic aeic. The
blood is alkaline, and as the chloral
comes in contact with it ehloroform is
produced, and its appropriate effects
follow. This takes place throughout
the system, thus producing a univer-
sal effect, and nota local one, as when
ehloroform itself is taken.