274 
M. AKLONIG 
PHYSIOLOGY. 
COMPARISON OF THE EFFECTS OF INHALATION OF CHLORRFORM 
AND ETHER IN ANAESTHETIC AND TOXIC DOSES UPON THE HEART 
AND RESPIRATION. 
By M. Arlonig. 
All physicians have observed that the first inhalation of chlo¬ 
roform and ether give rise to great excitement, in the course of 
which death may take place suddenly. Mr. Bert has demonstrat¬ 
ed that this period is due to the irritating action of the anaesthetic 
vapor upon the sensitive nerves of the first respiratory cham¬ 
bers, and Dogiel, Holmgrien and Grinde, tiering and Kratschraer, 
Krishaber and Frank have observed that the often fatal syncope 
which takes place at that time had the same cause. Experiment- 
ters have also observed another period of agitation, which is seen 
during the direct introduction of the vapor into the trachea. This 
was attributed by Dogiel, Holmgrien, Rutherford and Richard¬ 
son to the influence of the vapors of the chloroform upon the ter¬ 
mination of the bronchial nerves, and by Picard to the action that 
the anaesthetics exercise upon all sensitive nerves, before producing 
this physiological death. 
We have studied the second period of excitation comparative¬ 
ly with chloroform and ether. Here are the results we have ob¬ 
tained : When one allows air loaded with vapor of chloroform to 
enter the trachea of a dog, the heart of this animal is accelerated 
(150 to 160 beatings to the minute); the pressure rises in the ar¬ 
teries, then lowers, notwithstanding the increasing acceleration of 
the pnlse (200 pulsations); the systoles become smaller and 
smaller; all at once the heart diminishes its motion, three or four 
slow systoles take place, and then it stops entirely. These phe¬ 
nomena take place in about thirty seconds. 
Simultaneously the respiration is accelerated, the thorax has a 
tendency to contract more and more ; one may observe several 
