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Ethyl  Bromide, 
(Am.  Jour.  Pharin„ 
\       May,  1880. 
The  above  experiments  demonstrate  that  with  the  cautious  use  of 
ethyl  bromide,  rabbits,  which  are  with  difficulty  maintained  in  anaesthesia^, 
can  be  successfully  ethylized  without  much  danger  to  their  lives. 
Satisfied  as  to  this,  we  were  determined  to  obtain  information  as  to 
its  action  when  administered  internally,  and  for  that  purpose  gave  tO' 
three  of  the  animals  respectively  10,  20  and  30  minims  of  the  ethyl. 
While  producing  in  the  larger  doses  more  markedly  a  slight  intoxication,, 
no  other  serious  symptoms  arose.  Encouraged  by  this,  we  commenced 
taking  it  ourselves,  well  diluted,  first  in  doses  of  5  and  10,  and  then' 
25  and  30  drops,  without  discovering  any  noticeable  effect,  save  that  of 
slight  sleepiness  induced  by  the  larger  doses.  A  nervous  headache,, 
existing  during  these  experiments,  seems  by  the  ethyl  to  have  been 
entirely  relieved,  which  however  might  have  been  the  case  had  any 
other  bromide  been  taken  instead.  That  it  may  prove  of  decided! 
benefit  in  nervous  irritation  and  hysteria  is  readily  to  be  inferred  here- 
from. 
To  the  taste  it  is  sweet  and  pleasant,  but  heating  to  the  mucous  sur- 
faces, and  it  should  be  well  diluted  before  it  is  administered. 
The  next  case  for  experiment  was  that  of  a  rabbit,  which  we  injected 
hypodermically  with  5  minims  of  the  ethyl,  producing,  however,  no 
marked  effect,  save  a  very  slight  intoxication.  Another,  subsequently 
injected  with  10, 15  to  another  and  30  to  still  another,  had  again  the  effect 
of  producing  intoxication,  with  a  decided  somnolence  and  relaxation  of 
the  muscles,  all  of  the  animals  recovering,  however,  completely  within 
one  hour.  As  a  comparative  experiment,  another  rabbit  was  injected 
with  15  minims  of  chloroform,  which  produced  most  marked  and 
threatening  effects  and  complete  somnolence,  from  which  the  animal 
could  not  be  roused,  and  only  recovered  after  three  hours,  remaining, 
for  hours  afterwards  in  a  stupefied  condition. 
It  is  to  be  remarked  here,  that  in  all  cases  where  the  animals  were 
injected  with  ethyl  bromide  the  number  of  respirations  were  largely 
increased. 
Determined  to  ascertain  the  manner  in  which  the  ethyl  bromide 
should  prove  fatal  if  injected  hypodermically,  we  injected  into  one  of 
them,  a  healthy  female  rabbit  of  5  pounds  weight,  within  half  an  hour, 
in  broken  quantities,  2f  drachms  of  the  article,  failings  however,  tO' 
inflict  death,  nor  more  serious  symptoms  within  the  next  three  hours 
than  those  above  noted  ;  found,  however,  that  the  animal  had  expired 
during  the  following  night. 
