88 ON THE INHALATION OF THE FUMES OF iETHER. 
of a minute, and then recovered gradually without any marked 
symptom of pain, but seemed, when sensibility was fully restored, 
pleasantly lethargic. Wherever it was placed there it continued : 
meat was accepted when the fifteenth minute had expired. The 
animal foamed slightly at the mouth, and the urine was discharged. 
The door was purposely left open, but it was not until an hour and 
a quarter had elapsed that she leisurely left the room. The kitten 
was forced to breathe the fumes for three seconds before it was 
fully acted upon, but the insensible state remained for seven 
minutes. The breathing was lost — the heart still — the eyelids did 
not move when the finger was passed over the cornea. The coma 
was most complete. The first gasp was feeble, and eleven seconds 
elapsed before another was made. By degrees the inspirations 
became more full, and by the eighth minute from the first gasp re- 
spiration of a laborous description might be said to be established. 
The legs were moved about spasmodically and the nose held against 
the floor. The animal began to cry, and continued shrieking two 
minutes and a half : it endeavoured to rise, but was unable. The 
urine escaped, and thick ropy saliva hung from the lips. By de- 
grees the kitten got upon its legs, but could not for some time walk, 
falling whenever it attempted to move forward. When it acquired 
a certain ability to progress, it kept roaming about, only stopping 
to apply the paws to its nose. Frequent coughing and sneezing 
now took place ; but at the expiration of an hour the little animal 
curled itself up and appeared to sleep, in which condition it re- 
mained during the whole afternoon: when awoke, however, it 
accepted meat, but would not move to obtain it. On the following 
day no effects could be perceived. 
The results of these trials are not calculated to inspire any very 
sanguine hopes. We cannot tell whether the cries emitted are 
evidence of pain or not ; but they are suggestive of agony to the 
listener, and, without testimony to the contrary, must be regarded 
as indicative of suffering. The process, therefore, is not calculated 
to attain the object for which in veterinary practice it would be 
most generally employed, namely, to relieve the owner from the 
impression that his animal was subjected to torture. In another 
light, it is not likely to be of much practical utility. The coma- 
tose state is of short duration, and the ordinary operations occupy 
more time than can by it with safety be secured. There has 
yet no experiment that I know of been made to ascertain the 
action of the vapour oil the horse ; but I cannot anticipate that it 
will be found of much service to that animal. Its effects appear to 
be most energetic on the young, and the consequences seem to be 
also in these most painful and lasting. If, however, the applica- 
tion, which is so great a boon to the human race, cannot be made 
