On the injection of ammonia into the circulation : being a paper read before the Medical Society of Victoria, April 7th, 1869 / by George B. Halford.

  • Halford, George Britton, 1824-1910.
Date:
[1869]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: On the injection of ammonia into the circulation : being a paper read before the Medical Society of Victoria, April 7th, 1869 / by George B. Halford. 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.

    9/16 (page 9)
    Mr. Bragge wished to ask Professor Halford what effect there was on injecting Ammonia into the veins of unchloroformed dogs. He referred to some experiments performed on dogs with reference to alleged antidote in snake-bite, showing that the antidote had no effect. He thought Professor Halford’s experiments were inconclusive. Dr. Neild had assisted Professor Halford in the experiments detailed in the paper, and could speak with the greatest confidence of the remarkable influence exerted upon the system by the Am- monia. The animals experimented upon had been brought completely under the influence of the anaesthetic, in fact, had been as nearly as possible, time after time, killed by Chloroform, but almost immediately upon the injection of the Ammonia there had been, as detailed by Professor Halford, a return of muscular force and a complete recovery of consciousness. Pie (Dr. Neild) regarded this demonstration of the effects of Ammonia by injection into the circulation as the commence- ment of an entirely new method of treatment in special cases. Wherever the administration of some powerful heart-stimulant was indicated, the injection of Ammonia seemed to present itself as the means for accomplishing such a result. It was simply foolish to deny the possibility of performing the process of injection, and equally foolish to insist upon its necessarily fatal influence. Nothing could be clearer to his mind than that it was not only a safe method, but a beneficial one. The animals had been directly influenced by the Ammonia, and when it was borne in mind how extremely sus- ceptible dogs were to the influence of Chloroform, it would be seen that it required a very powerful agent to effect recovery from the condition of anaesthesia into which they were thrown. He could also bear testimony to the entire absence of any injury to the endocardium or to the innercoatof the veins as the result of Ammonia injection. He thought the profession was greatly indebted to Pro- fessor Halford for bringing this subject before the Society, and he trusted that, as occasion offered, the profession would put into practical operation the valuable hints he had afforded. The question of how the Ammonia acts, whether chemically or vitally, had not been entered upon by Professor Halford ; but he would, with the permission of the President, read an interesting letter he had received from Dr. Day, of Geelong, in which this matter was ingeniously referred to. Dr. Day’s letter was as follows :— “ Yarra-street, Geelong, April 5, 1869. “ Mv dear Dr. Neild,—I much regret that I shall not be able to attend the meeting of the Medical Society on Wednesday next. Professor Halford’s paper on the injection of Ammonia into the veins will, I am sure, be full of interest, and calculated to open up a new and wide field for investigation. “ I have been unsuccessful in all my attempts to procure snakes for experimental purposes, but hope, next summer, to be more fortunate. Judging from the reports of Professor Halford’s experi- ments with Ammonia injections in the treatment of snake bites, I