78 On the Chemical Effects of Chloral Hydrate, 



grounds we may fairly deduce that the physiological effects of 

 chloral on the animal economy must be somewhat different to that 

 of chloroform by itself; hence, perhaps, hypnotism, in place of 

 anaesthesia.* 



At the risk of being tedious, I now approach the demonstration 

 I have proposed to make, by reference to the line of my own expe- 

 rience in this matter ; and I extract the following from my micro- 

 scopical note-book : — " August 22nd, 1870. — Hydrate of chloral is 

 a remarkable chemical substance, producing a singular effect on the 

 blood when applied directly to it. A small portion placed on a 

 glass slide and slightly moistened, and then fluid blood added ; about 

 one-third of the corpuscles appear to corrugate their solid contents, 

 which then take colour from magenta." 



This was the first fact which attracted my notice : the red cor- 

 puscles of the blood, when acted upon by magenta, under ordinary 

 circumstances pass out or give up their contents, which then become 

 coloured by the dye. In this instance the dye penetrated the cor- 

 puscles, and coloured the material within them. 



This effect was sufiicient to indicate to my mind the remarkable 

 chemical action of hydrate of chloral ; and having made a note of 

 it, I waited until this agent was within my reach for further expe- 

 riment ; for when I made this observation I could only obtaiu a few 

 grains of it for experimental purposes. 



In the following October I had occasion to administer it in small 

 doses, with the view of relieving pain. This enabled me to examine 

 the condition of the blood. The blood, drawn two or three hours 

 after its exhibition, presented a remarkable appearance. In several 

 parts of the field of the microscope, besides garnet-coloured amor- 

 phous particles, a number of red-coloured globules (double the 

 diameter of white corpuscles, and many smaller) were seen ; some 

 of these were dark red. This was experiment the first. 



Experiment 2. — Hydrate of chloral was exhibited by the stomach 

 to a rabbit ; within an hour red masses were seen in the blood, also 

 the presence of starchy bodies was noticed. 



Experiment 3. — A frog was subcutaneously injected with hydrate 

 of chloral, with the same results. 



* The decomposition of chloral hydrate by ammonia is curious to witness 

 when carried out in the following manner : — A solution of the hydrate should be 

 placed in a narrow tube, about seven or eight inches long, and ammonia added, 

 and the mixture shaken and slightly warmed, when a white cloudiness will make 

 its appearance, and bubbles of gas rise to the surface. If now a little superstratum 

 of water is added, and not allowed to mix with the contents of the tube, the 

 bubbles of gas will be seen passing through this stratum of water, and with a 

 pocket lens the decomposition will be well seen. So soon as a bubble reaches 

 the surface and disappears, from that point there descends an oily-Iookiug fluid 

 (chloroform) ; but before this reaches the cloudy portion, an amorphous or semi- 

 crystalline material is formed — formate of ammonia ; what the gaseous portion is 

 I Lave not ascertained. 



