The Osceola times., 1885-05-30
MIXED ANESTHETIcS
rhe Tendency to Experiment viii,
priefary and Mixed Comno TN

priefary and Mixed Compound.
There seems to be tendency n, Al,
part of some practitioners of mcdlo;a
and of dentistry to experiment w;..
mixed an@sthetics, or, worse stll n...'
proprietary and secret comnorna
highly indorsed by the secular press ~
the reverend clergy, and by tho edi,o..
OF religious journals. The geptlemn'
write of the relative superiority ana
safety Of given compound as glblv =.
though their lives had been chiefly o.,
cupied in investigation of the yariou-
agents employed to produce anmstb~ia'
and they mean, apparently, that thai,
trumpets shall give forth no uncerta;n
sound. Thus, one reverend gentleman
assures the world that certain prena.
ration is Infinitely superior to alt otbsr
anesthetics. While the rationale 81
the action of the various annsthetios
upon the animal economy is still largely
an unsettled problom to those of gre,;'
est experience in their use. it Would
seem that ''infinite superiority could
hardly be admitted on The testimony of
non-medical man. Stranger still
however, is the willingness of protes.
sional man TO accept the responsibility
Of administering, for the production Of
general anGsthesia, an agent of the
composition of which he is not fully in.
formed, and as to the peculiar action Of
which he is ignorant.
1t is well known that the various
anasthetics produce their effects upon
the economy by entirely different
methods, and that, when signs of dan.
ger appear, the remedies and treatment
required differ accordingly. The pro-
cedure which in one case is the best Is
only not indicated in another case, in
which the Inconsistencies has resulted
from the employment Of difteren;
agent, but would be absolutely harmful
and dangerous. How, then. in the pres.
ence Of untoward symptoms following
the inhalation Of a mixed anesthetic, OF
of one the composition Of which was
unknown To the administrator, could
intelligent relief be afforded? Chloro-
form, ether aud nitrous oxide are all for
sale in the open market, and a pure
article of either can be procured. Their
properties, advantages and disadvan-
tages, methods OF action, modes of al
ministration, the condition contra-indi-
eating the employment of one or the
other, signs of danger, and procedure
in threatened trouble, all have carefully
studied, the facts reported, the theories
deduced discussed, and some general
conclusions. founded on the facts and
the theories regarding them. have been
widely accepted.
BY almost common consent chloro-
form for minor operations has been dis
carded, because of the conviction that
il is more dangerous to life than ether
or nitrous oxide. Ether is seldom en-
ployed in the dental office, on account
of its persistent odor, the length of time
required for complete recovery from its
effects, and the nausea which it fire.
quently causes. Nitrous oxide has come
to be used almost exclusively by the
dentist, on account of the facility with
which anasthesia is produced by it and
the transient duration of its effects, but
chiefly because for short operations it is
deemed the safest Of all anasthetic
agents. That it or any other anas-
thetic is absolutely free from danger
under all circumstances can not be af-
iirmed; but that pure nitrous oxide gas
is the safest general anasthetic known
is beyond controversy.
In view of the conceded fact that
general anRsthesia is not absolutely
free from danger to life, such an inter
ference with vital functions "a is in
Guided in the condition brought about
by any anesthetic should not be under
taken by any one except by approved
methods, and with agents which have
been the subject of the most searching
investigation, and the rationale Of
whose action has been ascertained, at
least to the extent which makes intelli-
gent effort at resuscitation possible
Dental Cosmos.