ON THE INHALATION OF THE FUMES OF AETHER. 87 
could not. Shortly, however, it raised itself upon its side and 
looked around. In twenty minutes it had recovered, but remained 
in one corner of the room, evidently not desirous of being* disturbed. 
A spaniel of moderate size, eleven months old, was next expe- 
rimented upon. The dog resisted much, and cried loudly in a 
convulsive manner. The foam from the mouth was very copious. 
At the expiration of a minute and a half the animal was not ren- 
dered powerless. Four drachms more of aether were introduced 
into the flask, but the narcotism was not rendered thereby com- 
plete. After another minute had elapsed the dog was released. 
It lay upon its side, panted irregularly, gasped spasmodically, and 
soon broke into a jerking yell, which in two minutes subsided, and 
then the head was beaten against the table with much violence. 
When the animal got upon its legs it could not walk straight, but 
fell after it had moved a few paces, which always took a circular 
direction. Water and meat were refused with evident disgust. 
A quarter of an hour passed before the dog by any sign denoted 
that it could recognize its master’s voice ; but in ten minutes sub- 
sequent to this it was as lively as before the experiment. 
Three terrier pups were next made to inhale the fumes. They 
were all of one litter, and six months and three weeks old. As 
the symptoms displayed in each were similar, so one report will 
serve for the three. The usual resistance was exhibited; but the 
cries during the time of breathing the vapour were loud and 
piercing. The animals seemed to suffer more than any of the older 
dogs which had been subjected to the process ; but the effect was 
more speedily induced. One was powerless in seventeen seconds ; 
but this was the one most quickly acted upon, the others not 
being narcotized before twenty-two and twenty-seven seconds had 
expired. They each continued in a comatose state about four 
minutes, and then slowly recovered. The return of sensibility was 
accompanied with every indication of agony : the cries, at first 
broken and short, at length became long and sharp, the poor little 
things making violent efforts to get upon their legs, which were 
constantly employed as the creatures imagined they were running 
at their fullest speed. The symptoms reminded me of the human 
being when recovering from an epileptic fit of a severe character. 
The effects were long subsiding, and it was full two hours before 
the animals were perfectly restored. During the insensible state, 
the ears were cropt and the tail cut ; but no sign of sensibility of 
any kind denoted that the animals felt the operations. As in the 
former cases, the faeces and urine were expelled. 
A cat seven years old and a kitten nine months of age were 
made to inhale the fumes of sulphuric aether. The older animal 
was insensible in ten seconds, but continued so only three quarters 
