The question considered : is it justifiable to administer chloroform in surgical operations, after its having already proved suddenly fatal in upwards of fifty cases, when pain can be safely prevented, without loss of consciousness, by momentary benumbing cold? / by James Arnott, M.D.

  • Arnott, James, 1794-1885.
Date:
1854
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Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The question considered : is it justifiable to administer chloroform in surgical operations, after its having already proved suddenly fatal in upwards of fifty cases, when pain can be safely prevented, without loss of consciousness, by momentary benumbing cold? / by James Arnott, M.D. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The University of Glasgow Library. The original may be consulted at The University of Glasgow Library.

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    Avhich has proved fatal from the use of chloroform. The very first death from it—that of a woman near Newcastle, was of this description; and another was that of a young gentleman at Govan, near Glasgow; but I have preferred adducing the case at St. Thomas' Hospital, because at this hospital, and more than a year before, I had in vain sought the opportunity of showing how such a result could be certainly averted. In Paris I met with no such difficulty. During a visit to the hospitals of this city soon afterwards, I explained and exhibited to M. Velpeau the plan which I had adopted of completely pre- venting sensibility in surgical operations by benumbing the part to be cut by means of extreme cold; and he not only himself quickly adopted the expedient at the hospital La Charite (after having been satisfied of its sufficiency by coolly plunging a penknife into the congealed arm of the inventor), but hap- pening at this time to be President of the Academy of Medicine, he gave it publicity at one of the meetings of that distin- guished body.* Unfortunately, the opinion that chloroform was without danger, when properly administered, was at that time as general there as in this country, and the communication, therefore, that a substi- tute might be found for it in frigorific applications, was little more interesting to the assembled academicians, than the information that a new shield had been invented, would be to a warrior already deeming himself invulnerable from his armour. The following reports of M. Velpeau's use of a frigorific mix- ture to produce insensibility, previous to performing the very operation just referred to, are taken, the first from the 42nd No. of U Union Medicate for 1850; the second from the , Philadelphia Medical Examiner for 1852. The French Pteport is drawn up by M.M. Errand and , Foucher, Internes of the hospital La Charite. After mentioning that the hopes, once entertained, that the • Sec Bulletin of tho Academy of Medicine for Oct., 1849.