Veterinary medicines : their actions and uses / by Finlay Dun.

  • Dun, Finlay, 1830-1897.
Date:
1895
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Veterinary medicines : their actions and uses / by Finlay Dun. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    anaesthesia are a deadly combination. Dangerous restriction of air may result from the inhaling appliances or apparatus un- duly closing the nostrils. Ingress of air may be arrested by pressure on the neck or chest, by the animal being placed in an awkward position, by the tongue dropping on to the larynx, or by vomited food entering the windpipe. In forcibly re- straining the early struggling, breathing is sometimes interfered with, and the deep inspirations which usually subsequently occur will convey into the lungs and distribute to the nerve- centres unduly large quantities of the anaesthetic vapour. The experienced practitioner is always specially watchful of cases in which there is much struggling; he pushes the ad- ministration rapidly, in order quickly to produce perfect anaesthesia, but so soon as this is effected he allows several full draughts of air. At this stage the napkin, nose-bag, or inhaler may be removed, for so soon as full anaesthesia is produced, the insensibility is readily maintained by small quantities of the drug, given occasionally. The further precautions mainly consist in the chloroformist bestowing undivided attention on two points:—(1) He must watch the breathing, in order that the patient’s safety shall be maintained by fresh air constantly entering and being removed from the lungs, thus preventing any dangerous accumulation of the drug, and the arrest of natural respiration; (2) he must maintain throughout the operation the requisite amount of ansesthesia, and accordingly, from time to time, he will touch the cornea, and, if returning reflex activity is noted, further chloroform will be given. With these precautions, anaesthesia may be safely continued for an hour or more. Dogs, without harm, have been kept under chloroform for two hours, and chloroformed deeply on consecutive days. Frohner mentions that sheep will stand two hours’ anaesthesia, repeated daily for eight days, about an ounce of the drug being used each day. Whenever respiration is impaired, unduly slow, shallow, or gasping, the administration of the drug must cease, fresh air be freely allowed, the tongue drawn forward, and the head placed on a lower level than the rest of the body. But if natural respiration ceases, not a moment must be lost in adopting artificial respiration. The Hyderabad experiments show that