80 TREATMENT OF ANESTHESIA NARCOSIS 



nostril, that on the upper side being preferable, while, to 

 prevent undue evaporation, a napkin is laid over both 

 nostrils. Endeavour is sometimes made to dilute the chloro- 

 form vapour with about ten volumes of air, as in Wallis 

 Hoare's method, but as far as possible air should be excluded, 

 as diluted chloroform vapour acts slowly, and the stage of 

 excitement is prolonged. Undue excitement and struggling 

 can be overcome by giving the anaesthetic freely or by 

 previous subcutaneous injection of morphine. But chloro- 

 form anaesthesia can be most satisfactorily induced in 

 horses by slow administration, beginning with half an 

 ounce poured on a warm sponge and adding a drachm or 

 two at short intervals until the requisite degree of insensi- 

 bility is reached, which is ascertained by testing the con- 

 junctival reflex. Small quantities of the drug suffice to 

 maintain insensibility safely for an hour or more, provided 

 a careful watch, as already stated, is kept on the respiration. 

 An ounce and a half to three ounces of chloroform properly 

 given, without waste, will fully anaesthetise an average horse 

 or ox in from five to ten minutes. Four times the quantity 

 of ether is required. Young animals are more readily 

 anaesthetised than old ones. In giving chloroform to the 

 horse standing, a leather muzzle which fits lightly over the 

 nose and mouth of the animal is used. In the muzzle is 

 placed a sponge on which the drug is poured, the commencing 

 dose being one to one and a half ounces. The horse is 

 securely held by two ropes attached to the head-collar, but 

 struggling and violence are exceptional. 



Dogs are very susceptible to the action of anaesthetics, but, 

 with rational precautions, may be kept under their influence 

 for an hour or longer. It has frequently been stated that 

 chloroform is not so safe as ether ; but the Hyderabad ex- 

 periments seem to disprove this. The dog should be fasted 

 for two or three hours. The drug may be placed on a 

 sponge, or on lint, in a wire muzzle covered with a towel ; 

 or it may be given through an inhaler. For small animals 

 Hobday's apparatus may be used, by means of which a 

 fixed safe percentage of chloroform is given. During 

 anaesthesia free respiration by the mouth is advisable, and 

 the tongue must be prevented from falling back so as to 



