The cessation of respiration under chloroform, and its restoration by a new method / by R. Milne Murray.

  • Murray, R. Milne (Robert Milne), 1855-1904.
Date:
1885
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The cessation of respiration under chloroform, and its restoration by a new method / by R. Milne Murray. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The Royal College of Surgeons of England. The original may be consulted at The Royal College of Surgeons of England.

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    experiments on this organ I found that very striking changes occurred in the respiratory rhythm as a result ot stimuli applied to certain parts of the pelvic viscera and lumbar cords of rabbits; and it was in the course of the endeavour to determine the exact nature of these changes that my attention was arrested by the behaviour of the respiratory mechanism under the influence of chloroform. As I could find in the literature of the subject no accurate de- scription of the respiratory phenomena in anaesthesia, I had to proceed to its investigation. I shall have occasion to refer later on to the opinions scattered through the text-books and lectures on the subject, but meantime proceed to describe the mode of observa- tion adopted. Mode of Experiment.—The animal was fully anaesthetised by chloroform by means of a cone containing lint soaked in the fluid, and held over its nose. It was then secured to the holder, and tracheotomy performed, and a bent glass cannula tied in. Ihe time required for this part of the operation varied with the greater or less susceptibility of the animal to the vapour. The variations were considerable, and from the time of first administration of the vapour to the completion of tracheotomy a period of from 5 to 15 minutes elapsed. The cannula a was connected by short pieces of rubber tubing to two glass T tubes b and c. The branch of b was connected with a tambour or other recorder, and that of c was employed for administering the chloroform. This latter tube could be closed by a pinch-cock. The main tube ended in a vulcanite tap d. By means of this vulcanite tap the effect of the air current on the tambour could be regulated: thus more or less extensive movements of the tambour lever could be obtained according as the tap was partially closed or opened. In the earlier observa- tions a tambour writing on a continuous roll of paper by means of an ink-pen was employed. In the more recent ones, a slow moving smoked surface has been substituted ; and instead of the tambour, I have employed a form of water-manometer devised by myself for such purposes.1 This instrument possesses several advantages over Marey’s tambour, which, I believe, render its in- dications more valuable and accurate. Its chief advantage is, that while it is as sensitive, if not more so, than the tambour for small 1 This instrument will be described in an early number of the Journal of Physiology. J