Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1883-08-21

upon 'The Application of Nitrous
Oxide and Air to Produce AnRsthesia,
with Clinics on Animals in an Experiment
tai Air Chamber"
The following is an abstract of the same:
From my own experiments and the prac
teal operations made in Paris, l believe
that the administration of nitrous OK
ide and air in condensed air
chIoroform in prolonged dental and surgi-
cal operations, as nitrous oxide has alrea0fTr
superseded them in ordinary dental opera
tons The reason why nitrous oxyde
cannot be used in prolonged operations as
ordinarily administered is that the blood
does not obtain any oxygen from it, the
lungs undecomposed and if breathed
without air or oxygen will
produce asphyxia. 1 have administered
nitrous oxide for dental and surgical oper-
ations to over 10000 persons, and have
found that when pure nitrous oxide is ad-
ministered without any admixture of air
the average time of producing anasthesia
is fifty secondhand the average time from
the first commencement of breathing the
gas till return of consciousness
is two minutes. l have administered
pure nitrous oxide in over 500
surgical operations in the city of Washing
ton, the longest time patient being IN
conscious was thirty-fve minUtes during a
capital operation. The operation was
performed by Dr.. Bliss and DR.. Stewart
The skill and experience required in ad-
ministering pure nitrous oxide for these
operations can be acquired but by few
persons as when the patient has become
an@sthesiZed air has to be breathed to
prevent asphyxia and before conscious
ness returns again breathing nitrous oxide
the interval varying from One-Quarter to
one-half minute. Pure nitrous oxide will
never be made practical for prolonged
operations. In my experiments on ami
mails, in having them breathe pure nitrous
oxide, death generally occurs in two and
one half minutes, the animal sometimes
living four minutes. If air or oxygen is
mixed with the nitrous oxide in sufficient
quantities to prevent asphyxia, it will
not produce an@sthesia. It can
be mixed with equal quantities of air
and breathed from a gas bag IN con-
densed air chamber at fifteen pounds
pressure per square inch, or mixed with
oxygen in the proportion of eightyfye
parts nitrous oxide to fifteen parts oxygen,
where the surrounding air is compressed to
five pounds per square iuch, and the mix
ture can be breathed for an indefinite
length of time without danger Or injury,
producing perfect an@sthesia, and perfect
ly oxygenating the blood. The compressed
air in the chamber being merely used to
compress the mixture in the gas bag into
q smaller space, SO that the patient can
breathe sufficient nitrous oxide to produce
an@sthesia, and sufficient oxygen to oxy
genate the blood.
The application Of nitrous oxide and air
or oxygen as an an@sthetlc
agent for prolonged operation s
has but very recent history.
February I'd, 1873, Paul Bert announced
to the Biological society of Paris his dis
covery as the result of theoretical deduc-
tons of a process by which the .an@stheti C
properties Of nitrous oxide could be use d
without danger of esphyXia.
The surgeons Of Paris have performed
several hundred operations, which have all
been crowned with the most brilliant sue
cess. The method is in a good way and
will no doubt, in short time, supplant
ether and chloroform, at least il hospital
and city practice, and the greater facili
ties in administering this agent, regulat.
ing the pressure and purifying the all
from infectious germs in the air chamber
I have devised, will greatly facilitate its
| introduction.
The essay here cited a
large number of very difficult operations
| made in Paris and published by DR..
Raphael Blanchard, by its use, and al
| have given the most satisfactory results.