The times., 1899-08-06
LIQUID AlR IN SURGERY
y H. 50. -.
1t Is Said to Be a Valuable Local
Anaesfhetic.
Claimed Also to Have Specific Gu
ratiyc Effect on ssciatica and Fa-
cial NeuraIs,ia-Its Suggested Use
in the Treatment Of Cnncer-Dr.
A. Campbell Whites Experiments.
(From the New York SUM-

suits Its use, not only as local anaes-
! thefic, but as specific, is under investi-
cation by several New York physicians
and surgeons, WHO get the liquid air from
Charles e. Tripler's laboratory. DR.. A.
Campbell White tells in the Medical Rec
ord" Of some experiments he has made. A
remarkable anaesthetic, specific of un-
known power, but not an antiseptic-these
are his preliminary deductions as to Ii
quid air.
Il think there is reason to hope he
says, that we have in liquid air thera-
peutic agent which will remove many 9th
eTwise obstinate superficial LESSONS of the
body and cure some LESSONS which have
heretofore resisted all measures of treat
ment at our disposal, including the knife
am firmly convinced, with the experience
already had with its use, that it is a spe-
cific in the treatment of such neurotic
LESSONS as herpes zoster; sciatica, and in
tercostal and facial neuralgia affording
instant and continued relief after one ap-
plication over the spinal end of the ar
fected nerve The use of liquid air in
medicine-that is, in the pulmonary dis
eases, in the reduction of fever, etc-opens
large field one which presents many OBJ
staeles at the very start. and possibly
| much hope for the future
Health Commissioner Jenkins gave Dr.
White the privileges of the departments
hospital laboratory to test the effects of
liquid air on germ life. In order to find
the effect of the extreme cold of 312 de-
greea F. below zero on typhoid, anthrax
and diphtheria bacilli, without bringing
them in contact with the liquid, the bacilli
were put in capillary tubes, sealed at both
ends and dropped into glass of liquid
air. When the tubes were removed, after
intervals of thirty, foTty-five, sixty, and
ninety minutes, the sealed ends were bro
ken and they were dropped into culture
tubes. The extreme cold had had no effect
on them. After these experiments a cul-
ture medium containing colonies OF an
thrax bacilli was dropped into a glass of
liquid air and left there for an hour The
result was the same as before. Even con-
tact with the liquid did not kill the germs.
Further experiments in this line Will be
made.
Dr. Whites experiments with liquid air
treatment of the tissues OF men and beasts
have great interest. He disagrees with
writer in the Scientific American" He
quotes from an old English textbook.
wherein Erichsen, in describing frostbite,
says: Experiences teaches us that the It's
sues (healthy) may be completely frozen
and kept in that state for a minute or
more without suffering any injury" And
he asks If it is not reasonable to suppose,
considering the pathology of carcinoma
NAS3-'
the repeated applications of liquid air to
these tumors will arrest the rapid and law
less cell multiplication which is the manner
OF their growth, and effect a recovery. pro-
viding no metastasis takes place.
DIR. White applied liquid air TO the
tissues OF the human body by the spray
and by the swab dipped in the liquid Be
lore MS experiments on human subjects
he tried liquid air on rabbits Dipped in
a
quarters of the ear OF rabbit was com
pletely frozen-so stiff that piece of the
tip was broken off without pain or femor-
rhage. After ten minutes circulation was
established, with hemorrhage at the point
where the piece was broken off Five days
later the ear began to swell and at the end
OF two weeks half the frozen part had
shriveled and dropped off The rest of the
ear became normal. When spray of LIQUID
air is applied TO the human skin the part
becomes anaemic and colorless If the
spray is applied for only few seconds
the color as quickly comes back and the
skin IS congested for some minutes after
ward A minutes spraying causes freez-
ing. The circulation returns in few min
utes and there is no injury to the tissues.
excepting where the liquid is applied at
hnger tip or some other extremity
There is no pain in the application, ex-
cepting at the very beginning when there
IS sligat burning or tingling," Dr. White
reports. "It also completely anaesthetizes
the part to which 1t is applied without
freezing 1t solid. I have tried the LIQUID
air IN number OF cases as local anaes-
thetic with inyariable success; and another
important advantage it has here is the ab
sence OF hemorrhage during the operation.
enabling the operator to apply the dressing
before any hemorrhage sets in the dress
ing then being sufficient to stop any ooz-
ing. An infected bursitis over the olecra-
non was anaesthetiZed incised, cleaned out
thoroughly and dressed without pain or
hemorrhage. and dressing was removed
some days afterward, the edges of the
wound were found clean and the cavity it
self was free from pus. The repair was
more rapid IL anything than would natu-
rally have been expected
Another case was that OF a boy who
had blank cartridge wound in the palm
OF his hand. The boy was extremely ner-
vous, but it was deemed necessary to make
an incision and examine for a foreign
body. The liquid air was applied too free
ly in this case, so that when an incision
was attempted it was found that it was as
impossible to incise the hand with the
scalpel as 1t would have been to cut a cake
OF ice. After waiting about thirty seconds
the operation was satisfactorily performed
without pain hemorrhage and with no
lurther application of liquid air. When
the boy returned in a few days the wound
was in perfect condition there being no
iuss of tissue, and ne continued to do well
unit. recovery. In using liquid air as a
local anaesthetic l believe il better to an
ply 1T intermittently while the operator is
working than to try to freeze the part so |
that it will remain senseless for any length !
Of time"
After relating number Of successful |
experiments with liquid air as an anaes- |
thetic in the removal of skin excrescences.
DR.. White tells of using 1t as a specific
In a number of cases of sciatica and of |
herpes zoster, one case of intercostal neu- |
ralgia and one of facial neuralgia LIQUID I
air has been tried. In every one of these i
cases instant and SO far as we are able |
to judge at the present time, permanent /
relief has been obtained by applying the |
liquid to the spinal end of the affected I
nerve. In one case of sciatica the air was |
applied TO several points in the course of |
the nerve. In two cases of herpes zoster
(all were situated on the chest WALL the |
eruption had completely dried up three
days after application, and in the other
cases about five days were required In |
none of these nerve cases was the air ap-
piled more than once, and in no case was |
the application severe enough to cause
blistering or sloughing.
Two cases of facial erysipeias were
treated, not with spray or swab, on ac-
count of the extent of surface involved, but
by rolling glass bulb filled with liquid air
over the tissues involved. The surface tenn
perature, the inflammation and pain sub
sided at once; but it was impossible to get
any subsequent history of the cases, so that
Z Ia result the erIo treatment is doubt |