MEDICINAL USES 377 



A.C.E. mixture of absolute alcohol one part, chloroform two, 

 and pure ether three parts, is preferred. (See Anaesthesia.) 



MEDICINAL USES. Chloroform is used to anaesthetise 

 horses and other animals during castration, firing, and other 

 painful operations. Parturition in the lower animals is 

 usually performed so easily, and with so little apparent pain, 

 that chloroform, in the majority of cases, is unnecessary. 

 Where false presentations have to be rectified in the mare, 

 it is sometimes, however, impossible, without anaesthesia, to 

 keep the animal quiet, or to abate violent uterine throes ; 

 while in bitches it is also sometimes requisite when the pups 

 have to be reduced before they can be extracted. Amongst 

 cows and ewes, labour pains sometimes continue for hours, 

 and other preparations for parturition appear to be com- 

 plete ; but the neck of the uterus remains firmly closed, 

 often in spite of medicines and manipulation. Chloroform 

 inhaled in amount insufficient to produce complete anaes- 

 thesia usually relaxes the rigid muscle. Partial anaesthesia 

 generally controls labour pains occurring prematurely, 

 moderates irregular, tumultuous contractions, such as are 

 sometimes met with in first parturitions, and abates after- 

 pains, the chloroform inhalation in some of these cases being 

 advantageously aided by hypodermic injection of morphine. 



Inhalation of chloroform has been advised for relaxing 

 intestinal spasm, and hence aiding reduction of herniae. 

 It has been recommended in tetanus in horses, and relief is 

 usually obtained so long as anaesthesia continues ; but the 

 temporary benefit is more than counterbalanced by the 

 disturbed and excited state caused by the administration 

 of the drug and by the excitement which succeeds the 

 anaesthesia. The shoeing of irritable and vicious horses is 

 greatly facilitated if chloroform be given so as to produce 

 partial anaesthesia. Inhaled or swallowed, it is occasionally 

 prescribed to check the symptoms of chorea and epilepsy 

 in dogs. 



When swallowed, it relieves gastric irritation, spasm, 

 and pain, and also exerts antiseptic effects on the contents 

 of the canal. Chronic irritability of the bowels in weakly 

 foals and calves, after removal of the irritant by castor oil, 

 is usually benefited by a dose of chloroform or of spirit of 



