ANESTHESIA 235 



ing spasm, and also by its local anesthetic action. It stimulates motion 

 and secretion ; it is an antiseptic in the digestive tract, and, in these ways, 

 overcomes flatulence. 



Chloroform should be combined with opium in diarrhea and colic. 

 It is administered in spirit or syrup to assuage cough. 



As an anthelmintic chloroform has been found the best anthelmintic 

 in dogs against hookworm by Hall and Foster, in proportion of TTl.iii to 

 2.2 lbs. live-weight, in an ounce of castor oil. Also for mixed infestation 

 with intestinal worms in dogs' (see oil of chenopodium). Lung worms 

 in sheep (S. filaris) are most successfully expelled by chloroforming the 

 animals till they stagger. Coughing brings up the narcotized worms, 

 but most are swallowed. So, after three hours, give a dose of purgative 

 salts. Two or three treatments three days apart will usually cure. 

 Food and water must not be contaminated with the feces of the sheep. 



Administration. — Chloroform may be administered in 3 parts of gly- 

 cerin; in emulsion with white of egg or acacia; or, as the spirit, diluted 

 with water. 



Anesthesia. 



Anesthesia is commonly divided into three stages: the stimulant, 

 anesthetic and paralytic. The so-called "law of dissolution" is illus- 

 trated by anesthetics, as the more highly organized (cerebral) centres 

 are the first to succumb, while the lower centres (medulla) are the last 

 to be affected. The anesthetics resemble other narcotics in producing a 

 primary condition of stimulation of the nervous system, which is followed 

 by depression. In the first stage of anesthesia there is often struggling 

 and excitement. This may partly be due to the physiological action of 

 the drug„but chiefly to local irritation and fright. In this stage the 

 functions of the brain are stimulated and then depressed. The higher 

 functions are the first to be excited, and the effect produced is very simi- 

 lar to that of beginning alcoholic intoxication. The lower motor func- 

 tions are next stimulated, inducing struggling and motor excitement.* 

 In the first stage of etherization, the local irritant action of the vapor 

 causes choking and coughing, and also induces struggling. The respira- 

 tory and cardiac centres are temporarily stimulated, the pulse and re- 

 spiratory movements are increased in force and frequency, and blood 

 tension is raised. The smaller animals may vomit during the first stage 

 of anesthesia. A subdivision of the first stage, sometimes described as 

 the anodyne stage, occurs when sensation is lost, before consciousness 

 and voluntary motion. Short operations, as extraction of teeth, have been 

 done by men upon themselves in the anodyne stage of anesthesia, with- 

 out pain. The anesthetic stage is that condition characterized by ab- 

 sence of consciousness, sensation, motion, and partial loss of reflex ac- 

 tion, and is that state suitable for operations. The stimulating action 



•As researches show ether, like alcohol, to be depressing to nerve centres 

 from the outset it Is probable that the excitement in anesthesia is due to the local 

 irritation of the .throat and fright. 



With the drop method of etherization in man there is little or no struggling 

 .and etxiteiQMsnt. 



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