1909.] 



Alcohol, Ether, and Chloroform, etc. 



557 



In an experiment of August 28, in which the times of abolition by a 

 0"01 mol. solution of chloroform (0'8 c.c. per 1000 c.c. saline) were 

 taken by stop-watch, the numbers were noted as 4 minutes at 20°, 2 minutes 

 at 30°, 1J minutes at 37°. 



[Note (added September 1). — In a report recently presented to Section I of 

 the British Association at "Winnipeg, I have brought forward evidence to 

 show that effects of the two anaesthetics, chloroform and ether, are simply 

 additive, i.e. the sum of their individual effects. 



Taking, e.g., a mixture composed of (1 gramme chloroform -(- 8 grammes 

 ether) per 1000 c.c. saline, I find that the solution is twice as powerful 

 as a solution of 1 gramme CHC1 3 per 1000, or 8 grammes Et 2 per 1000. 



Taking, as a point of departure, that 1 c.c. CHCI3 is physiologically 

 equivalent to 15 c.c. Et 2 0, I find that the saline solution of a mixture 

 composed of equal volumes of chloroform and ether is approximately half 

 as powerful (actually rather more than half) as the saline solution of a 

 volume of chloroform equal to that of the volume of mixture in solution. 



Assuming, as before, that 1 c.c. CHC1 3 = 15 c.c. Et 2 0, I calculate that the 

 physiological power of a mixture used in clinical medicine composed of two 

 volumes CHC1 3 and three volumes Et 2 is - 27 as compared with the power 

 of chloroform taken = TOO. 



Similarly, that the theoretical value of the well-known A.C.E mixture 

 (one volume alcohol + two volumes chloroform + three volumes ether) referred 

 to the same standard is - 23. 



To put these estimates to the test of experiment, a careful comparison was 

 made of three freshly-prepared solutions, containing respectively — 



(1) 2-5 c.c. per 1000 of the mixture (2C + 3E). 



(2) 1 c.c. per 1000 of chloroform alone. 



(3) 2-5 c.c. per 1000 of the mixture (lA-f 2C + 3E). 



In correspondence with the fact that the theoretical equivalent amount, 

 in the case of the first solution = 2*3 c.c, and in that of the second solution 

 = 2'7 c.c. (as compared with 1 c.c. in the second or standard solution), it was 

 found that the effect of the first solution came out slightly above that of the 

 standard solution, while that of the third solution came out slightly below 

 that of the standard.] 



Note. — Dr. Veley has been kind enough to give me the following calcula- 

 tion, from which it appears that we are really dealing with an alteration of 

 reaction velocity : — 



