A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF ANAESTHETICS. 
231 
chloroform vapor administered, it must be remembered that 
a far greater number in Germany, France, England and 
America, under like experiments have succumbed to cardiac 
arrest. The experiments of Ungar and Strassman* are con¬ 
clusive in this respect. 
But we may’ believe also, that in many instances animals, 
to whom lethal doses of chloroform are administered, do suc¬ 
cumb to pulmonary 7 paralysis, but it is denied by all compe¬ 
tent and conscientious observers that this is either an invari¬ 
able or even common sequel in human subjects; the majority 
of deaths among the latter are wholly inconsistent with such 
view, for the fatal result is usually sudden; the patient in the 
midst of violent struggles, and after a deep inspiration be¬ 
comes practically lifeless, the pulse ceasing, or sometimes be¬ 
coming distinctly or gradually feebler, before cessation of res¬ 
piration. Further, in chloroform accidents in man of the sud¬ 
den variety considered to be due to cardiac syncope, certain 
conditions are present which are difficult to obtain in animals.f 
It must be admitted also that when laboratory experiments 
clash with clinical observations, the latter must always have 
precedence; the former only lead the way 7 to those studies 
whereby the final verdict must be determined. 
* Virchow's Archives , B. D., 115. 
t Since the report of the Commission, a series of parallel experiments were 
undertaken by Prof. H. C. Wood and H. A. Hare, of the University of Pennsyl¬ 
vania, which have an important bearing. They say (.Medical News , February 
22d, 1890): 
“As we use between us, in the laboratory of the University, many dogs 
yearly, a very large proportion of which are finally killed by chloroform, we may 
be excused for our positive assertions that chloroform is a cardiac 'paralyzant , 
and does kill dogs by direct action upon the heart or its contained ganglia; 
especially since we have been strengthened in our opinion by the fact that Dr. 
Reichert, Professor of Physiology in the University, has reached results confirm¬ 
ing our own, and has frequently demonstrated the same to the University 
classes. * * * It has been the custom of one of the authors of this paper, in 
his lectures before the University class, to demonstrate by means of the respira¬ 
tory tambour, the mercurial manometer, and the kymographion, a continuation 
of respiratory movements after cardiac arrest through chloroform. Further than 
this, we have at various times taken tracings proving the same facts. 
“ The statements that have been recently made in the Indian journals, and 
in the London Lancet , have led us to re-examine the subject, and to make a 
