_Moist sounds_ not uncommonly appear. The student’s general knowledge of medicine will enable him to decide whether the fluid is likely to be in the pharynx, larynx, trachea, or bronchi. If in one of the first two named, it will suffice to swab out the throat and encourage the patient to cough. If, however, moisture is evidently present in the trachea or bronchi, the condition is one calling for considerable care and judgment. It arises more commonly with ether than with chloroform. Much will depend upon how much longer the surgeon requires to finish his operation. If only a few minutes more are required, nothing is necessary but to cut down the amount of ether being given to the minimum possible. If, however, the surgeon has still a good deal to do, the safest thing is to withdraw the ether and substitute chloroform or a mixture. Be it clearly understood, however, that such a change over is not devoid of risk. If it is to be made, it must be done early, before the patient is cyanosed and almost drowned in his own secretion. In a neglected case where cyanosis has already appeared, there will be no option but to interrupt the operation, empty the chest by encouraging coughing, and to aid the process by compressing the patient’s chest during expiration. Thereafter chloroform may be given, but with the greatest care. _Gasping and sighing_ are not common phenomena but when they occur, call for close notice from the anæsthetist. Excluding, of course, such occurrences in the first stage, before volitional control has been lost, they may be _usually but not invariably ascribed to overdosage or to the appearance of definite surgical shock_. Whenever they are noticed, therefore, it behoves the administrator to overhaul the patient thoroughly, to consult the eye reflexes, the skin reflex, and the pulse, and not to rest until he is assured that there are no other signals of danger to be found. _Stertor and stridor._ The first of these is caused by flapping of the soft palate. It is a noise low in pitch, resembling ordinary snoring. Indicating as it does that the palatal and therefore probably other muscles, are relaxed, it may if moderate in volume usually be taken as a favourable sign. If it becomes very loud, however, the probability is that the base of the tongue has fallen back; cyanosis will begin to appear, but will immediately be remedied by pulling forward the jaw or in extreme cases, using the tongue forceps. _Stridor_ is a high-pitched sound produced by approximation of the vocal cords. It has already been dealt with in Chapter iii. False Anæsthesia.