ON THE RATE OF EVAPORATION OF ETHER FROM 



OILS AND ITS APPLICATION IN OIL-ETHER 



COLONIC ANESTHESIA. 



By CHAS. BASKERVILLE, Ph.D., F.C.S. 

 (Read April 23, 19 15.) 



It is conceded that the anesthetic agent must get into the blood 

 for distribution and for eventual elimination, whatever theory of 

 general or central anesthesia one may support. The anesthetic 

 agent has normally been introduced into the blood by inhalation or 

 intravenously. It is normally eliminated mainly via the lungs. 



The intestinal mucous membrane of vertebrates is well known as 

 an efficient transmitter of gases to and from the blood. Pirogoff^ 

 appears to have been the first to mention the administration of ether 

 by this route. Liquid ether was used until Magendie gave warning 

 as to the danger of its use and ether vapor was substituted. During 

 the same year Roux,^ y'Yhedo^ and Duprey"* employed liquid ether 

 or aqueous mixtures to induce complete anesthesia. Although 

 Pirogoff's enthusiasm prompted him to predict the supplanting of 

 the inhalation procedure by the rectal method, references to it dis- 

 appeared from the literature until 1884. Then Molliere^ revived in- 

 terest in the method by using a hand bellows for forcing the ether 

 vapor into the intestine. Variations in the technique were intro- 

 duced during the same year, but the experiences of Yversen, Harter, 

 Bull,*' Weir," Wancher^ and Post^ showed more or less diarrhoea 



1 " Recherches pratique et physiologiques sur I'etherization," St. Peters- 

 burg, 1847. 



2 /. d. I'academie d. Sciences, 1847, 18. 



3 Gazette med. d. Paris, 1847. 



^ Academie royale de medicine, March 16, 1847. 

 s Lyon Medical, 45, 1884. 



6 A^. Y. Med. J., March 3, 1884. 



7 Med. Rec, 1884. 



^ Cong, internat. d. Sciences med., 1884. 

 Boston Med. and Surg. J., 1884. 



270 



