THE PAINLESS EXTINCTION OF LIFE. 643 



or the same gas as is produced during the combustion of carbon or 

 coke in a limited supply of oxygen. 



These researches led me to study the action of this gas in its 

 pure form, and to the discovery of many curious facts relating to it. 

 Among other things, I noticed that, like oxygen, it made the venous 

 blood of a bright-red color, and that warm-blooded animals exposed 

 to it for a long period of narcotion are rendered temporarily diabetic. 



I did not, on the whole, think it commendably safe as an anaesthetic 

 for man, but I fixed upon it at once as one of the best and cheapest 

 of lethal agents for the painless destruction of life in the lower crea- 

 tion. It is the principal agent for this purpose which I have used 

 since the date named above, 1854. 



Carbonic oxide is a gas, and, if quite pure, is so odorless and pro- 

 duces so little irritation that, when present in the air, it is apt to be 

 breathed unconsciously until the effects of it are felt. Those who by 

 accident have been narcotized by it, and have recovered from the 

 effects, have expressed that they had no recollection of anything what- 

 ever, that they passed into sleep in the ordinary way of sleeping, and 

 knew no more. 



Chloroform. — I was naturally led to chloroform, by reason of its 

 common use as an anaesthetic. There is no anaesthetic more certain in 

 its action, and none more certain to kill if it be administered in a 

 determinate manner. Administered even with skill, so as not to kill, 

 it proves accidentally fatal about once in twenty-five hundred times, 

 and, so soon as air is charged with over five per cent of its vapor, 

 it is not breathed without danger. Death from it is very determinate 

 when it occurs, and seems to be entirely painless. The vapor of chloro- 

 form does not burn ; on the contrary, it extinguishes flame. If we 

 plunge a lighted taper into a jar through which the vapor of chloro- 

 form has been diffused, the light is at once extinguished. When we 

 use it for narcotism, we merely diffuse the fluid into the state of vapor, 

 and make provision for the vapor to be absorbed by the lungs of those 

 subjected to it. It produces little irritation when breathed. 



Bisulphide of Carbon. — The bisulphide of carbon is a very rapidly- 

 acting anaesthetic. It produces narcotism, in fact, almost as quickly 

 as carbonic oxide, and with less muscular commotion. The vapor of 

 it burns in air if a light be brought near to it ; but, when its vapor is 

 mixed with that of chloroform, this danger is avoided. It is bought 

 as chloroform is, in the fluid state, and can be obtained, therefore, 

 from the chemist directly, ready for use, by diffusion of its vapor. It 

 has one immense advantage, that of being excessively cheap ; and it 

 has one great disadvantage, that of being excessively unpleasant in 

 regard to its odor, unless it be most carefully purified by repeated dis- 

 tillations. Combined with chloroform, with which it mixes freely, the 

 peculiar odor is largely reduced, and, by pouring the mixture over 

 chloride of lime, is almost entirely removed. For this reason, together 



