The San Francisco call., 1897-08-22
oHLoRorORM AND BURGLARY.
Aid to tho Possibility of Narcotizipg
Sleeping Persons.


A curious story is reported In the lay
press which involves an important me-
dico-legal question. Some burglars are
stated to have entered dweiling-house at
Clayton-le- Moors, Accrinston, and to
have chloroformed the inhabitants as
preliminary measure 10 successfully loot
ing the house. The alleged victims OF
tbs outrage were grown-up son OF the
householder, two adult daughters and
two young children.
The burglars first entered the room in
which the girls and children were sleep
ing, chloroformed them all without dis
turblng their sIumbers. then went into the
room OF the youth and dealt with HIM in
the same way. In the morning the young
man awakened and com plained OF "feel-
ing very ILL.,, while his sisters did not
awaken until recalled to mundane exist
ence through the efforts of medical man.
All professed they did not know anything
about the burglars. It is not our business
to discu the inherent improbabiity of
the s.ory Whether five persons could be
reduced TO anestbetic sleep by burglars
using Chloroform in such way as not TO
disturb their usua. slucl bers is the matter
which interests the profession.
Doibean tested The possl blllty OF chloro-
forming slee ping persons, and found that,
even using the greatest care. he only sue
ceeded i'll ten cases out of twenty.nlne; so
that even under the most favorable coadl-
lions Dolbean succeeded in chloroforming
without awakening the patient in about
33 per cent of the cases.
Cluness succeeded with two children,
and generally 1t is admitted that young
persons are more easily chloroforned
during sleep than adults. In the
well-known case of Richard Smith. who
was found in bed murdered while his wife
slept beside him, the woman's defense
was that she had been drugged with
chloroform, and was not particeps
crimiGis.
Quirn bys evidence in support of this
pea was that he had succeeded in three
experiments in producIng chloroform
nareosis during natural sleep-in one
adult and two children. Ia the early
days of the use OF chloroform, great fears
were entertained lest the drug should be-
come an important item in the armamen-
tarium of every criminal who aspired to
distinction in his calling, but, as was
pointed out by Snow and others, chloro-
toIm-giving involves too much skill and
experience If a satisfactory result is 10 be
obtained for its use to be possible for the
purposes Of crime.
In the case before US il seems incredible
that several persons in one room could be
severaly chloroformed without disturb
ance OF their own or their neig h boris slum-
bers, al nd. further, that the narcosis could
be so profound that in the case OF the
girls it should persist for hours after the
administration had been discon tin ued,
and finally require medical aid before it
could be overcome. Maury, in his evil
dence, given in 1871, before the court at
New Bloomfield, Perry County, Pa. said
he had tried to chlorotorm six persons
during their sleep, and all had resisted.
The bulk of experience goes to show that,
except IN the case Of infants, it is most
exceptional to succeed in chloroforming
persons without AWAKENING them from
sleep.-Britlsh Medical Journal.