SPINAL ANAESTHESIA. 65 



chloride, or five per cent, glucose, and sometimes a few drops of a 

 weak solution of strychnine are added to counteract the depressing 

 effect of the anaesthetic. To promote diffusion Barker and other 

 English surgeons recommend that the density of the injection should 

 be slightly greater than that of the cerebro-spinal fluid (T0070). 

 Lumbar anaesthesia has been tried in the horse, ox, and dog by 

 Cuille and Sendrail, of the Toulouse Veterinary School. They report 

 that their experiments have given complete satisfaction. 



Horse. They employ a trocar about 5 inches long by iV of an 

 inch in diameter. The place where the puncture is made is found 

 midway along a line joining the internal angles of the two ilia. 

 Implanted vertically at this point the trocar enters the neural canal, 

 traversing the lumbo-sacral space. It is the only accessible spot ; 

 further forward the vertebral laminae are too close together or imbri- 

 cated. Penetration of the subdural space is indicated by the escape 

 of cerebro spinal fluid through the cannula. During the operation 

 the animal scarcely moves. The application of a twitch and the 

 lifting of a fore-foot are the only precautions required. Disinfection 

 of the cutaneous surface, sterilisation of the trocar, syringe, and 

 solution, are absolutely necessary. 



First experiment. Aged mare. Injection of 1 fluid drachm of 

 2 per cent, solution of cocaine. Five minutes later the subject rocked 

 slightly ; when made to move she showed weakness behind, and 

 went over on her side. The students practised neurectomy on all 

 four legs. Cutting through the nerves of the hind-limbs caused no 

 pain, but section of the nerves in the fore-limbs produced pain, 

 manifested by struggling of all the limbs. 



In the second case the operation of ovariotomy was performed 

 without any exhibition of pain. 



Third experiment. Aged mare, medium size. Injected 30 minims 

 of cocaine solution. The gait was like that of the former animal. 

 Ten minutes later ovariotomy was performed without any movement 

 whatsoever (" dans le calme le plus parfait "). The sensibility of 

 different parts of the hind-limbs, flanks, and lower aspects of 

 abdomen was tested by pyropuncture ; there were no signs of pain. 

 Plantar neurotomies were performed upon the hind-limbs forty 

 minutes after the injection without pain, the animal lying down. 



Bovines. The same trocar as for the horse was used. Puncture 

 was made at the same point. Leaving aside the toughness of the 

 skin, the operation is easier than in the horse, the lumbo-sacral space 

 being a little wider. 



Sixth experiment. An old Lourdes cow. Injected 75 minims 



R.S. F 



