166 REPORT— 1870. 



his death, he begged me to study it and notice it in this Report. 



I therefore undertook the task, and with a very excellent specimen of the 

 ether prepared by Messrs. Eobbins, chemists, I subjected it to a fair test by 

 the side of other anaesthetic vapours, and found it to be a rapidly acting 

 and safe agent. In doses of fifteen minims, diffused in 300 cubic inches of 

 atmospheric air, at a temperature of G0° to 66° F., it induced profound 

 narcotism in one minute and thirty seconds, both in pigeons and rabbits ; and 

 in the human subject one fluid drachm administered by Junker's inhaler was 

 effective in entirely removing consciousness of pain after two minutes' in- 

 itiation. The effect of the ether is singular in that, under its use, very little 

 muscular or nervous excitement precedes the narcotism ; indeed there may 

 be said to be no second degree of auassthesia from the bromide, but a direct 

 transition from the first to the third degree. The third degree is, moreover, 

 free of spasmodic effort, and quickly passes, if the inhalation be continued, 

 into the fourth degree of general muscular prostration. The temperature 

 of the body is reduced in the fourth stage full .3° F. Eecoverj' from the 

 deepest narcotism produced by it is perfect in from four to five minutes, 

 and in no experiment did I observe any symptom of danger. 



I am thus able to state that Mr. Nunncley's opinion respecting hydrobromic 

 ether was sound ; and could the ether be obtained as reachly as chloroform, 

 and were it as stable a body, I should say that it would be a real improve- 

 ment on chloroform. Its physical qualities, its low boiling-point especiallj', are 

 good recommendations ; and the facts that it causes no convulsion, and that 

 recovery from its influence is very rapid, are equally in its favour. The 

 objections to it, irrespective of cost of its production, which is great, are that 

 its vapour provokes during its inhalation a local dryness and irritation of 

 throat, easily bearable but not pleasant, and that on being kept for a 

 time and exposed to air it undergoes change, so that its vapour becomes 

 actually irritating to the mucous membrane. These faults, minor though 

 they' be, would, I think, prevent hydrobromic ether from coming into 

 general use as an anaesthetic ; its good qualities deserve nevertheless to be 

 remembered, and the scientific world is much indebted to our late Associate 

 for the labour he introduced into his research and the results he obtained. 



Triethtltc and Teimethtlic Ethers. 



"When chloroform is made to act on sodium or potassium ethj-late, or on 

 sodium or potassium methylate, a chloride of the metals, whichever be 

 used, is formed and an ether. If an etbjdate be acted upon an ethyl ether is 

 obtained ; if a methylate be acted upon a methyl ether. The first of these 

 ethers is supposed to be homologous with an ether of a triatomic alcohol 

 caUed triethylic, C, 11,^ O3, and I have therefore called it triethylic ether ; the 

 second is homologous with trimethylic ether, C^ H^^ O3 : specimens of both 

 these ethers are on the table. 



Triethylic ether is a heavy aromatic fluid, boiling at 174° F., and having a 

 vapour-density of 71. It passes into vapour very slowlj', unless the tempera- 

 ture of the air be considerably raised, and hence at ordinary temperatures 

 the action of the ether is very faint when it is administered by inhalation. 

 But in making the ether I observed that the first distillation yielded as a pro- 

 duct a volatile cMoride, of very delicate aromatic odour, and without excep- 

 tion the most perfect general aua;sthctic I have ever employed or seen. This 

 compound, of which there is a specimen on the table, is so quick in action that 

 it may be dUutcd with half its volume of absolute ether, and still yield a vapour 

 of sufficient narcotic power to be available for long or short operations. Exposed 



