LIVERPOOL CHEMISTS* ASSOCIATION. 
329 
After some conversation on local matters, the President called upon Dr. Waite to read 
a paper on “Anaesthesia ; Nitrous Oxide as a substitute for Chloroform or Ether.” 
He contended that pain , though usually regarded as an evil, was in reality a great 
boon, inasmuch as it compelled us to seek the remedy for the disease which produced it. 
The pain, resulting from efforts at restoration, must, however, be admitted to be an evil, 
to the removal, or mitigation of which every available means should be employed. The 
discovery of the process of inducing anaesthesia, for which we are indebted to Dr. Horace 
Wells, a dentist of Hartford, Connecticut, opens up a way of escape from the sufferings 
consequent upon the exercise of operative surgery. Hitherto, however, this immunity 
from suffering has only been secured at the risk of more serious results, owing to the 
injurious tendencies of the agents employed. It is remarkable that, although the air we 
breathe is a mixture of gases, although the mucous membrane of the respiratory passage 
is much better adapted to gases than to vapour of liquids, still nearly all the search after 
anaesthetics has been among liquids, and this, too, in spite of the fact that the first prac¬ 
tical anaesthetic used was a combination of the same gases as the air is made up of, viz. 
nitrous oxide, NO. This gas possesses advantages over the ethers, chloroforms, etc., in 
three distinct particulars. 1st. Anaesthesia is produced in a shorter period by nitrous 
oxide (40 to 90 seconds) than is usual with any other agent, and the recovery is pro¬ 
portionately rapid after the removal of the gas. 2nd. The administration of nitrous 
oxide has no disagreeable effect upon the system, such as the headache, sickness, and 
distress, almost inseparable from the inhalation of chloroform or ether. 3rd. It has been 
used extensively, by both general and dental surgeons, throughout the United States, 
during the last two or three years, and hitherto there have only been two cases recorded 
of fatal results, in both of which serious and fatal disease (of the lungs in one case, and 
the brain and spinal cord in the other) were ascertained to exist, by post mortem ex¬ 
aminations; so that it may justly be inferred that the risk involved by the use of 
nitrous oxide is far less than that incurred in the use of ether or chloroform. The sen¬ 
sations are most agreeable, and the anaesthesia sufficiently profound for the performance 
of the most painful operations. From one to twenty minutes it has been sustained 
without any perceptible pernicious influences. The lecturer stated that he had re¬ 
peatedly inhaled the gas himself, and administered it to others, aud never failed to pro¬ 
duce perfect anaesthesia without any other effects whatever. 
Dr. Waite then inhaled the gas, and its power of destroying pain was shown. The 
Secretary was also placed under its influence, perfect unconsciousness resulting, followed 
by a rapid recovery attended with no unpleasant effect. 
A discussion followed, in which Mr. Abraham expressed his opinion that the effect 
was too evanescent for protracted operations, and thought that the insensibility was due 
rather to the exclusion of air than to the nitrous oxide. 
Other members took part in the discussion ; after which Dr. Waite replied to the 
objections raised, and referred to its constantly successful employment in America. 
A vote of thanks was then cordially and unanimously passed to Dr. Waite for his 
instructive paper. 
Fifth General Meeting, held December 5, 1867 ; the President in the chair. 
Mr. K. Fidler was elected a Member of the Association. 
Mr. J. Fidler and Mr. Boucher were elected Associates. 
The following donations to the Library were announced:—The Pharmaceutical 
Journal; The Proceedings of the Pharmaceutical Conference; The Proceedings of the 
Liverpool Literary and Philosophical Society for 1866-7; The Opening Address of the 
Liverpool Philomathic Society. 
The thanks of the meeting were unanimously passed to the donors. 
Mr. H. S. Evans, who had promised a paper for the evening, being unavoidably 
absent, the Secretary stated that he had received it from the author, and proceeded to 
read it. The subject was “The Jalaps of Commerce.” 
After giving an account of the natural history of the true officinal jalap, the Exogo- 
nium purga, and of the general properties characteristic of the Natural Order Convolvu- 
lacece, Mr. Evans proceeded to discuss the characters and properties of the several 
varieties of jalap met with in commerce, viz., the officinal or Vera Cruz jalap, the rose- 
scented jaiap, the male or “He jalap,” or fusiform jalap, and the Tampico jalap. 
The male or fusiform jalap having passed out of use, its place has been filled by the 
