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
_Lithotomy._ In this operation, it is advisable to have the patient
placed on the operating table with his head supported by one or two
pillows, and to administer the chloroform before the sound is
introduced. This having been done, it is generally requisite to
administer a little more vapour cautiously and gently, whilst the
bandages are applied to the hands and feet, and the patient is drawn
down towards the foot of the table. The bandaging should on no account
be neglected in the adult patient. It would be an abuse of chloroform to
carry its effects so far in every case that the slightest contraction of
the muscles could not be excited by the use of the knife, merely to save
the trouble of applying a bandage. In little children, the bandages are
not usually employed; but in these cases, the person administering the
chloroform should hold the head or shoulders of the little patient, just
as the surgeon makes his first incision; for the two assistants who are
holding the legs, and think they are doing a great deal of good, are
really making a fulcrum to enable the child to push itself away from the
surgeon, if it makes the least flinch, which it is almost sure to do, if
the narcotism is not much deeper than there is any occasion for. In this
operation the patient should be fully insensible when the surgeon makes
his first incisions; and the chloroform must be repeated or not during
the operation as occasion may require.
I have memoranda of fifty-seven cases in which I have administered
chloroform in the adult, and thirty-four in children, down to the
present time, the end of March 1858. It was my expectation that I should
be able to give the result of these, and all the other important
operations; but I have in a few cases either not ascertained whether the
patient recovered or not, or have neglected to make a note of the
circumstances at the time; and although the deficiencies might perhaps
be made up by private correspondence, and by searching the books of
three hospitals, I regret that I have not time at present for such an
undertaking.
A large proportion of the above cases of lithotomy were performed by Mr.
Fergusson, either in his private practice, or in King’s College
Hospital, and the remaining operations were performed by a number of
surgeons. On April 19th, 1855, Mr. Fergusson removed eight calculi, as
large as pigeon eggs, from the bladder of a gentleman, aged sixty-nine,
who had a favourable recovery.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account