CHLOROFORM, ETHER, A.C.E. MIXTURE. 2/ 



without bandaging, and in no case has the animal evinced irrit- 

 ation or attempted to interfere with the sutures; in other instances 

 of painful wounds, too, orthoform has proved equally valuable, 

 when used alone or mixed in varying proportions with starch or 

 boracic acid. 



Having thus disposed of the local, we have next to consider 

 the general, anaesthetics, i.e., those which produce complete 

 loss of consciousness in the whole of the body by their action 

 upon the higher cerebral centres. Of these the best are chloro- 

 form, ether, and the A.C.E. and A.E.C. mixtures. They are used 

 for major operations, and in cases, such as reduction of hernijE, 

 where it is desirable to relax various tissues. 



The Choice of a general Anaesthetic — ^Chloroform is by far 

 the most ideal anaesthetic to choose for the average adult animal. 

 It is much more pleasant to taste than ether, does not produce 

 so much salivation, the stage of excitement is less, and that of 

 anaesthesia more prolonged, besides which the after nauseating 

 effects are by no means so well marked. If given slowly and 

 properly diluted the risk to adult canine patients is very 

 slight. In the cat, however, and in the young of very delicate 

 breeds of dogs, greater care must be exercised, and it is safer 

 to choose either ether or the A.C.E. mixture. The last named 

 consists of a mixture of I part of alcohol, 2 parts of chloroform, 

 and 3 parts of ether. These opinions are based on the fact that 

 (mainly in the Out-patients' Free Clinique of the College) 

 chloroform has been administered within the past five years, by 

 the pattern of inhaler shown in Fig. 14, to more than 800 con- 

 secutive canine patients with only three fatalities, two of which 

 were satisfactorily accounted for on post-mortem examination ; 

 ill the third case unfortunately no post-mortem was made. As, 

 however, the latter was a pug I was not altogether surprised, 

 this breed of dog being usually risky to anaesthetise on account 

 of the shape of the nose. The operations were of all kinds, some 

 very trivial and some very severe, the animals not being (except 

 in a very few instances) in any way prepared or selected, of all 

 ages, sizes, breeds, and conditions. The periods of anaesthesia 



