Surgical experience of chloroform / By James Miller.

  • James Miller
Date:
1848
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Surgical experience of chloroform / By James Miller. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    Thus, one day, in dissecting out from a child a tumour which overlaid the pectoral muscle, and bulged freely into the axilla, I had occasion to lay bare the large axillary vein for an incli or two; and in cutting closely upon it, one of its feeders had been injured. At that moment, the patient began to emerge from the deep stupor of anaesthesia, and cried lustily. Imme¬ diately a gush of venous blood took place, and filled the axilla. Chloroform was reapplied as rapidly as possible; so soon as the gentle breathing, as of sleep, was restored, the cavity was found bloodless as before ; and the dissection was leisurely and safely completed. Had there been no chloroform there, the struggling and cries of the patient might not only have caused much loss of venous blood, but would have both re¬ tarded and complicated the operation most untowardly. XVI. IT IS NOT AT ALL UNLIKELY, THAT ANESTHESIA WILL ALSO BE FOUND TO LESSEN THE RISK OF ENTRANCE OF AIR INTO VEINS DURING OPERATION. We know that this accident is in part caused by deep and laboured inspirations, which a patient, alarmed and straining, naturally makes under fright and pain ; and one mode of ob¬ viating the occurrence, is to compress the chest tightly by bandaging, or otherwise to prevent those deep inspirations, and secure a shallowness of breathing. Now, it is very ob¬ vious, that the easy sleep of chloroform will overtake this in¬ dication in a much more comfortable and effectual way. XVII. DELICATE DISSECTIONS ARE RENDERED MORE SIMPLE AND SAFE. This must inevitably be the result, if the necessary depth of stupor be produced and suitably maintained—as it always can be. Excepting the flow of blood, the anatomy is as plain as in a dissecting room. The patient is perfectly steady ; nerve, artery, vein, muscle, fascia, may all be freely manipulated without causing any muscular jerk, voluntary or involuntary. And this absence of muscular movement also secures another
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