400 



Dr. E. H. Embley. 



[June 13, 



The administration was continued for 2' 45". A preliminary small rise 

 and a simultaneous small diminution in bowel volume occurred, due 

 apparently to vaso-constrictor stimulation. This was followed by a fall in 

 blood-pressure and increase in bowel volume, so that in 1' 15" the blood- 

 pressure had fallen 46 mm. Hg, and the tambour lever of the bowel record had 

 risen 5 mm., showing an increase in bowel volume. This increase in bowel 

 volume, however, was not maintained against the concomitant continued fall 

 of blood-pressure, so that the bowel volume soon diminished. The tambour lever 

 in the ensuing V 20" fell 27 mm., whilst the blood-pressure fell a further 

 19 mm. After the administration had ceased and recovery had begun, a great 

 increase in bowel volume occurred during the recovering blood-pressure, so 

 that in 3' 5" after cessation of administration the lever of the tambour had risen 

 42 mm., which was 20 mm. above its level before starting the administration 

 of ethyl chloride, whilst the blood-pressure had risen 39 mm. Hg — still 

 24 mm. below the pressure before starting the ethyl chloride. In 

 13' 25" from cessation of administration of ethyl chloride the blood-pressure 

 and bowel volume had returned to their former levels. 



This result is seen, upon comparison, to be precisely similar to those 

 which Martin and I (10) obtained during our investigation of this question in 

 chloroform narcosis. In each the organ volume was found to increase at first 

 for a time, although the blood-pressure was falling, but to soon diminish as 

 the blood-pressure continued to fall and after cessation of the administration 

 to rise above the level that it had previous to commencing the administration, 

 although the blood-pressure still lagged considerably below the height it had 

 previous to the administration of ethyl chloride or chloroform. The inter- 

 pretation is the same as that given in the chloroform researches above 

 mentioned, and is that the heart recovered before the blood-vessels and 

 poured blood into the relaxed arteries, thereby occasioning a considerably 

 greater increase in the organ volume ; and that this condition was main- 

 tained until the vessels recovered their tone, when the volume returned to 

 its previous level. 



Vertical rotation of the intact animal, with the head up, under deep ethyl 

 chloride anaesthesia induced by artificial respiration, brought down the blood- 

 pressure from 70 to 48 mm. Hg. 



The results of vertical rotation under deep- ethyl chloride narcosis are 

 considerably less marked than those produced by chloroform. With a corre- 

 sponding depth of narcosis with chloroform a fall to zero was usually observed. 

 The paralysis of the local vaso-motor mechanism is apparently much less 

 profound in a corresponding depth of anaesthesia with ethyl chloride. 



Conclusion. — The net result of the action of ethyl chloride upon the vascular 



