No. 129.] 169 



dilate more or less and he falls into a most agreeable artificial 

 sleep, or trance, dreaming most frequently of journeys over rail- 

 roads, in steam boats or in coaches, and is often quite angry at 

 being awakened from his pleasant dream. Now the ansesthetic 

 state commences before unconsciousness, and is perfect and entire 

 in the unconscious state, insomuch that any of the most painful 

 operations known to surgeons, may be performed upon him, 

 without his manifesting the slightest sensation of pain, or suffer- 

 ing of any kind ; he will tell you even after the red hot iron 

 has been passed over the most tender parts of his body that he 

 felt nothing, that he had a very pleasant dream, &;c. 



In labor, women who have been rendered even partially in- 

 sensible to surrounding things, will inform you that they feel no 

 pain though they know that the uterine contractions are going 

 on at the time, and when rendered unconscious they do not feel 

 the agony usual on giving birth to their offspring, but were in a 

 pleasant dream and felt no pain whatever. 



The nerves of sensation only, being rendered insensible by 

 etherization, it is obvious that those of motion and particularly 

 those of organic life and of muscular contractility of the uterus, 

 remain imimpaired and perform their usual functions ; owing 

 probably to the membranous, and less muscular character of the 

 uterus of quadrupeds and the less muscular force required for 

 the extrusion of the foetus, thus animals suffer but little pain in 

 giving birth to their young, and hence it is unnecessary, except 

 in rare c^ses of difficult labor, to administer ether to them ; 

 there are cases however, where the saving of life in a valuable 

 animal, may require us to employ instruments and force, and 

 then ether may be most advantageously administered, and 

 will render the animal passive and the operator may safely and 

 deliberately perform his work. 



In more usual surgical operations upon animals, particularly in 

 that of castration of the bull, stallion, hog and ram, we 

 should always apply the ether vapor by the lungs, as I shall de- 

 scribe. There is no danger in administering the ether to any 

 animal that has sensible perspiration, but to those which do not 

 sweat we must apply it more cautiously, thus the ram and bull 



