CHAPTER V. 



ANESTHESIA. 



In order to ascertain tlie effect of anesthetics on con- 

 ductivity, experiments were performed with ether,^ 

 chloroform, chloral hydrate and alcohol.'^ Subsequently 

 alkaloids were employed.^ 



The method may be illustrated by the following 

 experiment with ether. Tissue was transferred from sea 

 water to a mixture consisting of 990 c.c. sea water + 10 c.c. 

 ether + 5 c.c. sea water which had been concentrated by 

 evaporation until its conductivity was about double that 

 of ordinary sea water. This mixture contained approx- 

 imately 17o by volume of ether (= .099 M) and had the 

 conductivity of sea water. In 10 minutes the resistance 

 had risen to 113.4%,* but, in 10 minutes more it had fallen 

 to 109.4%. It continued to fall until it had reached 98.8%, 

 after which it fell very slowly (at about the same rate as 

 the control). The fact that it fell below the starting 

 point is not necessarily to be attributed to any injury, 

 but rather to the fact that the exapor'ation of the ether 

 increases the conductivity of the sea water, which is 

 contained in the apparatus, and in the cell walls between 

 the protoplasmic masses. The results of the experi- 

 ment are shown in Fig. 80. 



In order to see how the evaporation of the ether 



' Since ether, chloroform, and alcohol deteriorate on standing, espe- 

 cially when in contact with metal or with cork stoppers, special care 

 must be taken to obtain pure reagents. Those used were Kahlbaum's 

 or Squibb's. Cf. Baskerville (1913). 



'Cf. Osterhout (1913, A; 1916, A). 



'Cf. Osterhout (1919, D). 



*A11 readings were made at 18° C. or corrected to this temperature. 



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