Los Angeles herald., 1908-03-08
Science aHadh7Ve7fiO17

Commenting on reports the sue"
cess in Paris of Professor Leduc's
natural anesthesia, induced by the
application of intermittent electric cur
rents to the head, which Is said to be
quite without danger to life, inducing
no functional disturbance of heart
lungs or any other organ or mechan-
ism, a writer in the Medical Times
(New York, january says:
"Such claims as these have been
made-and quite recently--for other
newly discovered anesthetics yet in
routine surgical practice lumbar pune
ture, the scopolamine method, the use
of magnesium salts and the like seem
all to have been discarded. They have
not in fact induced state of uncon-
seriousness sufficiently profound for
satisfactory major work. 1t should,
moreover, be borne in mind that the
surgeon requires not only unconscious
ness sufficient TO permit the use of the
knife; there must also be complete re-
taxation of the muscles and tissues and
a measurable assurance that an opera
ton once begun shall be carried on to
undisturbed completeness. And in
these regards nothing has quite taken
the place of ether and chloroform.
"Claim has been made for the newer
anesthetics that they are muclf safer
than the old. But an absolutely safe
anssthetic is a contradiction in terms.
The little experience we have had of
the newer methods has abundantly
shown them to be by no means entlreiy
safe.
"An anesthetic which will induce in
sensibility sufficiently deep for salts
factory surgery must in the nature OF
things stand for some danger; anyone
profoundly anesthetized is always very
near the border line between life and
death. This all physicians understand;
and that is why we are ourselves, or
all people, the greatest towards and the
most unwilling to undergo operation.
The reason why the patient so rarely
goes beyond the border line lies not
so much in the agent employed as in
the skill Of the experienced anesthetizer
who knows the properties of the drug
he uses: who, after thorough exam
nation. has taken all precautions, who
foresees all possible accidents, who
will not trust to luck and who remains
vigilant throughout and until the re-
turn to consciousness.
"It is certainly most desirable that
search will be continued for an anes-
theric safer than any we now possess;
but it is probable that in most cases
we shall find no better method than to
begin with nitrous oxid-the initial
shock due to fright, which is probably
the most prolific cause of disaster from
an anesthetic, is thus best avoided
and from this gradually, by the use of
a suitable apparatus, to go on to ether.
An enterprising and astute colleague
has invented method by which. to
begin with, an odor of delicious per-
fume is generated for women. and of an
aromatic cocktail for men. The NOR
tally from the old methods is indeed
extremely small Ether and cnloro-
form rank very high among the most
precious gifts of science to humanity;
it is they which have made modern
surgery possible
In splicing a wire rope experience has
shown that the efficiency of a splice de-
ponds. on it's length the larger the rope
the Toner the splice required. In ordinary
splicing of a %-inch rope the length of
the splice should not be less than 20 feet,
for a 1-inch rope II should be 80 feet,
and for rope over 1-8-inches in diam
eter it should be 40 feet.