DEPARTMENT OF SURGERY. 
289 
dents which are liable to occur while operating, even when a 
local anaesthetic is used, a condition which, for want of a better 
name, may be termed u struggling myositis,” has furnished me 
the greatest number of deaths. Among the local anaesthetics a 
ten per cent, cocaine solution is the most reliable one; a saturated 
aqueous solution of chloretone cannot take its place, as most 
patients will react, and some so violently as to question its pos¬ 
itive anaesthetic properties, at least in the horse. Three agents 
demand attention for general anaesthesia of the horse : Chloro¬ 
form, chloral hydrate, ether, and as a fourth morphine may be 
added. All have undesirable properties, but chloroform is the 
safest and most agreeable general anaesthetic to give, excepting 
ether, which the writer cannot discuss, as it has never been 
used by him in general anaesthesia of the horse. L. A. Meril- 
lat, on page 816 of the Journal of Comparative Medicine and 
Veterinary Archives , Vol. 14, No. 12, in an able discussion on 
chloroform narcosis, reports but four deaths out of about 15,000 
chloroforinizations. He says, “ As to the danger of deaths, rec¬ 
ords of approximately 15,000 cases show but four deaths, all of 
which were traced not to cardiac lesions, as might be expected, 
but to careless administration, especially in failing to observe 
the arrested respiration in time to apply restorative measures.” 
The writer has used chloroform liberally the past three years 
without any accidents worth mentioning. In 1898 chloroform 
was employed 412 times; in 1899, 5^9 times; in 1900, 601 
times, giving a total of 1602 horses. The main objection to 
morphine lies in the fact that it is unreliable in its action. 
It does not produce a deep narcosis, and a great many ani¬ 
mals subsequently become very restless at times for hours 
afterwards, thus seriously interfering with bandages, asepsis, 
leading to secondary haemorrhage, etc. Chloral hydrate was 
employed 16 times. Twice intravenously, the horses weigh¬ 
ing 1202 and 1025 lbs. respectively. Both got 40 grammes 
into the jugular and died half an hour afterwards. In the 
other cases it was employed per rectum. Those two who re¬ 
ceived it intravenously began to stagger in a few moments 
after they got the dose, fell down, sleeping soundly. The mu¬ 
cous membranes became more and more cyanotic, the pupil 
dilated, respiration slower and slower until death, in spite of 
artificial respiration, taught the writer a lesson on the narcotic 
effects of chloral hydrate given intravenously. Chloral hydrate 
per rectum was employed as follows: First the rectum was 
emptied by hand. To do away with the irritating properties of 
