The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-11-03
INsENsIBILITF TO PAIN.
Curious ways in which IL 10 Secured without
tho Use or AnGstheticp.

tho Use OF AncstheticP.
From the Pftsburo Dispatch.
An interesting point has been brought out in
a discussion of the dental section OF a medical
association on cataphoresis. Cataphoresis is tho
most modern method of causing the tooth and
runs or any part of tho body to become insen.
sible to pain. The ordinary method Of its exhi.
bition is to saturate n piece of cotton with CO.
caine and apply the cotton containing electrode
10 the part to be influenced. a weak electric cur
rent being turned on in tho meantime. In from
one and a half to ten minutes the part becomes
'obtuhdcd." or benumbed.
A dentist who took part In the discussion said
that he had hold bhck-mu,h to the surprise of
active recognition of cataphoresis in dentistry,
and he would now enliRhten the association as
to tooi hif br reasons sisSIrjc ff99r, 1os Go so; The es eI Itr SssG Of Of
1856. but the, real cause of any merit in that
method was that the shock produced at the in.
s sfan' q she tho iSP' %lil were force epB BY da pTGidSoe a a sS adGeT,
ana violent inhalation into the lungs. While
excellent, for the senses were for the in
slant submerged or subjugated. He dis
9 paie arose IRON from the fa' Hu aSiasi inh i%ishS5D''t ~ ai TO
and thenccforth abandoned the use of electricity
and depended upon rapid breathing alone. In
ing sensitive dentine and for extracting. for this
clue to tho brighter step which dentists have
been slow to recognize as q TACT. Had they done
80. tnen you WOulQ not to-day DO looking Tor any
other agent in most of the cases that it Is our lot
to have"
Subsequently another practitioner stated that
he had lnado frequent use of the rapid.breath-
ing method to obtund pain for some sixteen
years. and he thought II the real effect of rapid
breathing were better understood it might have
a wider application than in dental practice.
There are many ways In which n state OF disor-
dination OF the nerves. of feeling may be pro-
duced 80 that they will not carry the sensation
of pain to the brain, and thus produce anRs-
thesia. The way quick breathing acts seems to
DO by diverting the attention from the opera
ton to the effort to breathe quickly. In hyp-
notlsm sleep is caused by occupying the pa
TENTS attention. and thus discriminating the
centres Of mentality and the centres of sem
s~ation, so that they do not work together. A
case Ia reported Of tumor operation In which
the man was made to hold the surgeons hand
and maintain constant pressure. This will make
any one tired, and the effort diverted the attcn-
ton OF the patient from tho pain of the opera.
ton so fully that the tumor was removed by
legation without any pain being felt. and with:
out the loss of consciousness at any time. All
that seems necessary IL TO fix the thoughts of the
patient closely on something else while tho pain
lasts. This answers very well when the tooth
can be drawn instantly. but II this or any other
operation has to b. prolonged. there is no ques-
ton that cataphoresis is the surest, simplest,
and best method known of securing insensibility
to pain.