The Saint Paul globe., 1897-10-17
DEADENS The NERVE
NEW ANAESTHETIC EUCAINE EX-
PERIMENTED WITH AT JAMES,
TOWN HOSPITAL.
NEW ULM MYSTERY CLEARED.
TRAMP AT OWATONNA CONFEsSEs
TO THE MURDER OF POLICE
MAN WINNELMANN.

JAMESTOWN, N. D., Oct 16 "A re-
cent experiment with eucaine, the new
Undiscovered anaesthetic, at the state
hospital for the insane in this city,
have been entirely successful. Hereto
fore there has been no known method
of artificially producing an insensfbility
entirely free from risks of death, and
deaths have occasionally occurred un-
der the administration of anaesthetic
vapors. With this latest discovery To-
cal insensibility can be produced, leav
ing the remainder of the body in its
normal state.
The new substance, which comes from
Germany was recently obtained by Su-
perintendent Moore of the asylum and
a series of experiments entirely salts
factory in results was obtained.
The seVerest test was the amputa-
ton at the lower third, of the right leg
of q. man sixty-eight years old without
the use of either chloroform or ether,
followed by rapid and painless healing
of the stump The disease which neces-
STATED the removal of the leg was the
death of the bones of the foot, ankle
and the bones of the leg Immediately
above the latter, causing inflammation
and sloughing of the softer parts, fever
and general prostration being attendant
upon the absorption of poisonous ma
terialS by the circulation. Unless the
operation had been performed death
would have been inevitable. He had for
years been a sufferer from rheumatism
which had effected his heart and this,
with his age and general debility, made
the use of a gene1 al anaesthetic very
unsafe and dangerous.
AS much of the eucaine was put into
two or three tablespoonfuls of water as
the water would dissolve and with q
hyperdermic syringe q few drops of the
solution We're injected under the skin.
About an inch from the center of the
injection another was made and then
another, until the limb was girded by
them at the place where it was intend
ed to amputate. After waiting about
five minutes to allow of the superficial
tissues becoming insensible, thS needle
was thrust deeply into the muScleS and
injections made. In a few minutes all
that portion of the leg, including three
or four inches above and below the
ring of injections, was found to be
destitute of feeling and the operation
of cutting off the limb was proceeded
with exactly as if the patient were un-
der chloroform. When the deeper It's
sues were cut into a slight smarting
sensation was experienced a few times
by the patient, which was Immediately
relieved by the application of a little
more of the solution directly to the
seat OF the discomfort. mo OlHef pam
was experienced and the patient ate his
breakfast as usual, the operation being
performed in the afternoon, and an
hour after the dressing Of the stump
he was sitting up in bed eating dinner.
At the end of nine days dressings were
removed, stitches taken out and the
stump found entirely healed. The pa
TENTS general health has much i'm
proved since the operation. He has
gained in flesh and strength and the
constant pain, as well as the danger Of
blood poisoning, caused by the decay
ing of the bone, is a thing of the past
Eucaine' is substance prepared from
South American plant; it is similar in
it's local action to cocaine but without
any of the poisonous effects of the lat
ter, even though it be employed in
much larger doses. 1t is undoubtedly
calculated to replace cocaine, while in
many cases such as the above, it will
be utilized for the painless performance
of operations in which the use of
chloroform or ether was formerly
thought to be Indispensable