Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1915-10-21
AN IDEAL ANEslHEs|A
Ether's First Century Points to
New Possibilities.
Present Element Of Danger May he
Eliminatcd-Dr. Keen, either Day.
Orator, speaks Of n Memoir
able Event.

| Or. William Williams Keen of Phila.
delphia was the orator at the Massachu-
sets General hospital at he celebra-
| ton Of the sxty-ninth anniversary OF
Ether Day. He reviewed the march OF
progress which anesthetics have made
since the memorable operation In 1916
and predicted the evolution or discov-
cry of an ideal anesthetic before the
centenary anesthesla occurs.
DIR. Keen spoke in part ms follows:
| IN this historic place. sixty-nine
years ago this very day, the inventive
Ingenuity of man slew the Demon OF
| Pain.
| I'VE who are accustomed to anesthesia
can hardly appreciate the courage Of
Warren and Morton on that memorable
| 10Th of October. 1916. Surely also the
bravery of the patient himself should not
be overlooked. The name OF Gilbert Abb
bot should always be held in remem-
brance I have often called the atten-
ton of my classes to n patient lying
limp and apparently almost lifeless on
the operating table. Lift the arm and
it falls as II 1t were that of corpse.
Touch the sensitive eye and the lids do
not move. Cut the tender skin Gnd 1t
elicits no response. VIII he ever wake
up? May not the pickering flame of lifo
gradually fade away and forever? Have
/ not unwittingly killed this man? Such
must have been the insistent questions
In the minds Of those intrepid adventur-
ers on that momentous occasion. HOW
eagerly must they have welcomed tho
first faint evidence of returning con-
seriousness? Had that young man died
then and there for how many years
would the blessings of anesthesia have
been withholden from the human race?
I'm this city and In this hospital. my
topic-the Dangers of Ether as an Anes-
thetic'-may at first blush seem ungrate-
full. But our profession ever seeks the
unvarnished and untarnished truth To
recognize that there are dangers in the
first step In eliminating them. When
life Is at stake ignorance Is not bliss.
Forewarned is forearmed."
Dr. Keen then showed what a vast
, subject It Is. requiring much study, that
the number of anesthetics has grown
and their application has become n spe-
cial branch of the profession. In 1860
there were only two anesthetics in use.
ether and chloroform. Now the many
anesthetic drugs. the different methods
of using them, by Inhalation, by insult
, fiation by arterial or venous infusion
by different routes. tho mouth. the nose.
, the colon. by local nnesthesia by spinal
anesthesia by one drug alone or by
i, two or more together, or In varying Sc
) quences. by simple or complicated ap-
paratuses. or costly and elaborate cham
bers for differential pressure have al
most reached the classical 80 varieties"
9 Continuing, DR.. Keen said:
During the last ten years especially
the administration OF anesthetics has
T been rapidly changing. 1t is becoming
more and moro an exact science instead
Of a mass of only empirical knowledge
g gained by practice and at the cost Of
Q danger or sometimes even OF life
Zone of the happiest results OF n rest
t less search for Improvement is the rise
e of the professional anesthetist and ex-
pert who. by the mastery Of his subject
Q and his knowledge and prescience of
= danger Is able to avert or to remedy
the danger, an expert who Is more and
8 more definitely coming to be recognized
o as comparable to the expert specialist
in other departments Of medicine and
y surgery. The recent organization OF the
American Association of Anesthetists Is
another welcome evidence of progress"
The speaker showed that there Is a
larger percentage Of deaths from ether
in American than In Great Britain. but
there is no need of becoming alarmed
: over this because the percentage Is very
I small, one death in 4.533 administrations
: Compared with chloroform. the dangers
t Of ether are almost negligible. what
"a Mt ho
p thetic and sth anesthetists that there
k shall he no deaths at ALL The search
= for this ideal anesthetic must be vgor
n ously continued by experiments first
upon animals. 1t has not yet been found
L for every anesthetc known has It's owr
d dangers. As have more than ono,
= pointed out. the ideal anesthetic SHOULD
: not preserve the consciousness of tn
e patient, who would easily be terrbl!
: frightened at tho least suspicion OF
: dangers which the surgeon has Otter
c encountered and easily vanquished. Blu
e they would not only frighten the patient
c but would often provoke uncomfortable
n physical movements which would caus
serious danger or entirely prevent TIT
t operation. This ideal anesthetic mus
l. also. II possible, be pleasant to admins
- free from noxious after effects, AM
= without danger to life Our commones
Ie anesthetic-ether-is to me personally
re both as surgeon and as patient. 30 littl
= repusive and has such very Sigh
If danger in competent hands that afte
= having used it thousands of times wifi
n patients and taken 1t myself on six DIFF
ii ferent occasions ! would as lief lie dow,
h on the table and take ether as woul
q sit down at my table ana take break
to fast.
e, I'm the future new anaesthetics an
~ improvements in our present methods
IN Nor instance possibly Netzers combina
he ton of magnesium sulfate with ethe
ID and his demonstration Of the antagonist
lg Of calcium to magnesium sulfate, eve
Is will give us I hope, a new. safe an
% an agreeable anaesthetic ere the Center
te airy Anaesthesia occurs, on Oct. 1G, 1874
10 Finally in glorious. yet inspiring co,
re trast to the work of destruction promote
by other departments OF science. q
shown in the present horrible war,
the blessed work of our guild In war q
H., in peace winning victory after victor
~ over disease and death, we devote n
our knowledge. all our skill and ingenui,
-, century after century to the solace ar
- service of humanity"
err
lie STOLEN AUTO FOUND.