On chloroform and other anæsthetics: their action and administrationSnow, John
History
On chloroform and other anæsthetics: their action and administration
Snow, John
Anesthetics; Chloroform; Snow, John, 1813-1858
M. Ricord succeeded in restoring two patients who were in a state of
suspended animation by mouth to mouth inflation of the lungs. The first
was a woman, aged twenty-six, who had been made rapidly insensible by a
few inspirations of chloroform from a sponge. He had scarcely commenced
the operation of removing some vegetations, when his assistant informed
him that the pulse had ceased. The breathing also ceased about the same
time.
In the second case, he completed the operation of circumcision, and the
patient, a young man, not coming to himself, M. Ricord found that the
breathing had ceased, and the pulse was becoming more and more extinct,
and very soon ceased entirely, till restored by the artificial
respiration.
After these cases, hopes were expressed that M. Ricord had discovered
the means by which all patients might be restored from the over-action
of chloroform; but these hopes have not been verified by events. In the
first of the cases, the heart had probably not been so entirely
paralyzed by the action of the vapour as sometimes happens, and in the
second case, that organ was apparently not paralyzed by the chloroform
at all. It was only after the breathing had ceased, that M. Ricord found
the pulse was failing. This was a case, therefore, in which artificial
respiration might reasonably be expected to restore the patient.
The following cases of resuscitation, from the over effects of
chloroform, are related by Mr. Bickersteth in the paper previously
quoted. They occurred in Edinburgh:
“_Case 1._ A boy was cut for stone by my friend Mr. Hakes, on the 29th
of March, 1849. Chloroform was administered on a piece of sponge, and
the full anæsthetic effect produced, before proceeding to tie him up in
the ordinary position: the inhalation was continued, without any regard
to his condition, until the operation had been completed—altogether
about five minutes from the time he first became insensible. It was
noticed that during the operation scarce a drop of blood escaped. When
it was over, the child was found, to all appearance, dead; the muscles
were flaccid; the surface of the body pale; the respiration had ceased;
the pulse could not be felt; the heart sounds were not audible (but the
room was by no means quiet); the eyes were half open; the jaw dropped;
the pupils dilated; and the corneæ without their natural brilliancy.
Several means were tried to resuscitate him, but without effect. At
length artificial respiration was commenced; the air escaped with a
cooing sound, as if from a dead body. After continuing it for a while,
the breathing commenced, at first very slowly and feebly. Soon it
improved. In two hours the child had quite recovered.”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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