On chloroform and other anæsthetics: their action and administrationSnow, John
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On chloroform and other anæsthetics: their action and administration
Snow, John
Anesthetics; Chloroform; Snow, John, 1813-1858
A few years ago, I examined the viscera of the chest, and kept notes of
the appearances, in thirty-seven animals killed by chloroform. They
consisted of two dogs, twenty-two cats, one kitten, three rabbits, three
guineapigs, two mice, two larks, and two chaffinches. Many of the
animals were opened immediately after death, and the rest within a day
or two. The lungs were not much congested in any instance. In seven of
the animals, they were slightly congested; but in the remaining thirty,
they were not congested. They were generally of a red colour, but in a
few of the cats they were quite pale. I ascertained the specific gravity
of the lungs of two of the cats, in which they presented the amount of
vascularity I have most usually met with. The specific gravity was 0·605
in one instance, and 0·798 in the other. As many of the animals died in
a way resembling asphyxia, the respiration ceasing before the
circulation, it might at first be supposed that we should meet with the
same congestion of the lungs; but by the time that the respiration is
altogether suspended by the action of chloroform, that agent has begun
already to influence the heart, which does not inject the blood into the
lungs with the same force as when the respiration is mechanically
prevented, whilst it is in full vigour. Besides, in the gaspings which
so often take place when the heart is ceasing to act, the animal
inhaling chloroform draws air freely into the lungs, whilst the
asphyxiated animal is prevented from doing so.
As regards the condition of the heart, it was found in the two
chaffinches that the auricles were filled with blood, whilst the
ventricles were empty. The condition of the heart in the larks is not
mentioned, but in all the thirty-three quadrupeds, the right auricle and
ventricle were filled with blood. In ten of them, these cavities were
much distended; and in some of these instances, the coronary vessels on
the surface of the heart were distended also. The left cavities of the
heart never contained more than a small quantity of blood, not exceeding
a quarter of what they would hold.
The head was examined in only ten of the animals. The substance of the
brain was found to be of the natural vascularity, and the sinuses were
not very much distended, except in two instances.
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