Clarksville chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 186?-1872, 1872-08-03
Death Alleged 10 have Resulted from
the inhalation Of Nitrous Oxide Gas.

in the Office Of dentist in the city of
New York has excited considerable
comment in the papers of that and
other cities, and furnished a text for
various articles in the medical journ-
ais. We have received a number of
communications on the subject, and
numerous inquiries for the precise
facts in the case.
From a pamphletissucd by DIR. New
brough, at whose Office the event oc-
cured, we make the followingsummary
of the evidence before the coroner's
jury. DIR, Newbrough testified that
the patient, middle aged lady, desired
the extraction of seven or eight front
teeth which were loose. DIR. N. ad-
vised that their removal would be SO
easy that an annthetic would be un-
necessary; but the patient insisted
that she could not submit TO the oper-
alton without it. DIR. N. then procur-
ed six gallon bag of gas, but the pa
tient seemed about equally fearful of
anGthesia and pain, and, assoon as she
had made an inhalation, rejected the
bag, and declared her willingness to
have the operation performed with
out it. At sight of the forceps, her
courage again failed her, and she de-
cided once more to try the gas. She
took one inhalation, and again reject
cd it. BY this time so much of the
gas had escaped from the bag, that the
doctor replenished it. Of this she
took two inhalations, and percmptori-
ly refused to have anything more to
do with it, declaring her determination
to submit to the operation. The teeth
were then extracted. Immediately"
says the doctor, "she tainted, her head
dropping over sideways" The face
rapidly became livid, and finally pur-
pie, respiration falling to about fifteen
per minute. In about thirteen min
utes, Notwithstanding the prompt APP
plication of the galvanic battery, and
efforts to assist respiration, death en-
sued. The musclar system was entire
ly relaxed throughout, and after death
the face became instantly blanched.
DIR. Otis, summoned by DR.. NJ, and
arriving in about ten minutes after the
fainting, testified that he continued
the usual restorative treatment for
forty-fve minutes, when death en-
sued. At post-morteD,, found no dis
ease of heart; brain perfectly exsang-
minated in every part; no fluid in any
of the ventriclcs. One lung was more
engorged than the other, but healthy.
No opinion as to the cause of death.
DIR. Britton testified as to the heal
thy condition of the body, except that
one lung was congested the brain was
in normal state; judged from the
condition of the lungs that death re-
suited from asphyxia, but could moi
express an opinion as to the cause OF
it.
DR.. Buchanan testified that the
lungs were copgested; the right lung
bound down by old pleuritic adhesions;
the congestion was post-m0rtem be.
lievcd that death was caused by nerv.
Gus shock from the extraction of the
teeth the inhalation of the gas nigh,
have acted as a predisposing cause
the upper lobes of the right lung pre-
scented appearances of pneumonia nj
trous oxide gas is not stimulating.
DR.. Endermann, under instruction
of the coroner, had inspected the APP
partus of DIR. Newbrough; found thai
he used but one wash bottle; believed
the apparatus untitled for the prepare.
ton of pure gas; did not have an OPP
portunity to examine the gas of which
the patient had inhaled, as DIR. n. haC
allowed it TO escape, anu filed the re
servoir with some freshly made; wit
ness made.gas with.the same apparatus
which was pure; the bag used hold.
about four gallons, with no cxhalinl
valve.
We give the verdict entire:
We find that Mrs. Ann O'Shaugh
messy came to her death from asphyxi;
or apnea, as evidenced by the symp.
toms manifested by the patient befor,
death and the conditions found at tn,
post morton, the asphyxia having, in
our opinion, been induced by the inha
lation of gas administered
The jury further agree in the opin
ion that any other than the prescribed
method of preparation of nitrous OK
ide gas as to temperatures for generation
and appropriate washing bottles, is t.
be regarded as a careless method Of
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