MATERIA MEDICA AND THERAPEUTICS. 183 



and ether both act in the same manner upon the heart and respira- 

 tion, paralyzing the latter first, but chloroform acts much more 

 quickly and powerfully than ether in both directions. But when 

 chloroform is inhaled in a concentrated form it generally par- 

 alyzes the heart first. 



Chloroform is peculiarly safe by inhalation in parturition. 



Uses. — It may be used as an aid in painful and prolonged 

 parturition, where you have tumultuous contraction of the uterus, 

 or rigid contraction of the Os. Use only enough by inhalation 

 to dull the pain and relax the parts ; it will aid you in your efforts 

 to rectify false presentations by relaxing the parts. 



Internally it is used for its carminative, antispasmodic and 

 anodyne effects ; spasmodic coughs, chloroform combined with 

 belladonna and opium, given in linseed gruel or water, well di- 

 luted; in liniments about one or two ounces to the pint, or chloro- 

 form 1 oz., turpentine i oz., soap liniment 2 ozs., is used as a 

 counter-irritant; chloroform is used in chronic diarrhoea with 

 other drugs, such as morphine, capsicum, ether and oil of pepper- 

 mint. It is also a good taeniacide. 



ANESTHESIA. 



Anaesthesia is technically divided into three stages : the stim- 

 ulant, anaesthetic and paralytic. 



/;;■ the first stage there is struggling and excitement, due 

 partly to the physiological action of the drug and partly to fright. 



The local irritant action of the vapor causes choking and 

 coughing which also induces struggling. 



The respiratory and cardiac centers are temporarily stimu- 

 lated, as a consequence of which the pulse and respiratory move- 

 ments are increased in force and frequency and blood tension 

 is raised. 



The smaller animals, particularly the dog, may vomit during 

 the first stage of ansesthesia. 



In this stage the dog may bark, whine or howl, the horse 

 neighs and groans ; other animals give expression to sounds more 

 or less characteristic of their species. 



