CfiREBliAt DEPRESSANTS. 129 



pentine 1, laudanum i, tincture aconite root i, and 

 soap liniment 2 parts by measure. 



Spiritus Chloroformi, spirit of chloroform, so- 

 called chloric ether (aether chloricus) . Contains puri- 

 fied chloroform 10 and alcohol 90 parts. Dose: H., 

 fl. 1 i.-ij. ; D., fl. 3 i.-iss. 



Anaesthetic Mixtures contain chloroform, ether, 

 with or without alcohol, in varying proportions. The 

 best known and most serviceable are : 



A. C. E., 1, 2, 3 mixture, containing alcohol 1, 

 chloroform purified 2, ether 3. 



E. C. A., 3, 1, 1, Nussbaum's mixture, containing 

 ether 3, chloroform 1, and alcohol 1 part. 



Physiological Actions of Chloroform.— Small 

 doses given internally are carminative, antispasmodic, 

 and analgesic. Large doses cause muscular relaxa- 

 tion and paralyze the cerebro-spinal nervous system. 

 Death takes place by paralysis of both heart and res- 

 piration, similar to ether, but its toxic action is very 

 much more rapid than that of ether; hence death by- 

 chloroform is more sudden. Applied locally, chloro- 

 form is a rubefacient, a refrigerant, anodyne, and 

 local anaesthetic. 



General anaesthesia is produced by an inhalation of 

 the vapor, and shows four distinct stages, viz. : (1) 

 Stimulant — some excitement and struggling; (2) 

 narcotic — muscular relaxation, quietude, and stupor; 



(3) anaesthetic — complete anaesthesia, insensibility; 



(4) paralytic — death ensuing if the action of the 

 drug is continued still further. 



In order to avoid heart failure or depression, it is 

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