The development of inhalation anaesthesia : with special reference to the years 1846-1900... / [Barbara M. Duncum].
- Duncum, Barbara M.
- Date:
- 1947
Licence: In copyright
Credit: The development of inhalation anaesthesia : with special reference to the years 1846-1900... / [Barbara M. Duncum]. Source: Wellcome Collection.
480/664 page 460
![The discussion was opened by D. W. Buxton and he is reported as having said in the course of his remarks : ' The work of the Hyderabad Commission, as far as it went, was excellent, and it was only to be regretted that its so-called conclusions were permitted to be framed in such a way as to mislead those not sufficiently familiar with the matter to assume that it had settled, once and for all, the question whether chloro- form caused primary heart failure. The Commission failed to observe it in their experiments, and this only was the Commission entitled to state. It however went beyond this, and stated emphatically that primary heart failure never occurred either in the lower animals or in man, and practically told the profession that deaths from chloroform need never occur save through careless- ness or when the Commission's directions were not carried out. In so saying the Commission assumed a grave responsibility which had lulled many persons into a feeling of dangerous security when employing chloroform, and had led to a reckless use of the agent in a way open to the most severe criticism. He (the speaker) thought it the duty of the Section to state most distinctly that the clinical evidence before them contradicted the findings of the Hyderabad Commission, and showed its conclusions to be at variance with common experience.'1 Towards the close of this discussion Dr. Christopher Childs, of Weymouth, ' moved that a committee be formed to invest- igate the clinical evidence with regard to anaesthetics, especially the relative safety of the various anaesthetics, and the best methods of administering them . In addition to Dr. [W. V.] Snow (the President of the Section), they should be very glad to have the names of Dr. Lauder Brunton, Mr. Pridgin Teale [of Leeds, a great advocate of Clover's ' small machine ' for ether], Dr. Dudley Buxton, and Mr. [George] Eastes [assistant anaesthetist at the Great Northern Hospital] as members of the committee '.2 Brunton declined membership and the Com- mittee, as finally constituted, included Jonathan Hutchinson, Chairman ; Teale, Chairman of the Executive Committee ; and Childs, Secretary. ' To obtain evidence the Committee requested all anaes- thetists throughout the kingdom to record their cases during 1892.' 3 In order that the observations might be as uniform as possible record books were drawn up containing columns for noting the consecutive number, date, hour, sex, age, general 1 Brit. med. J., 1891, ii, 1090-1. 2 Ibid, ii, 1093. 3 Trans. Soc. Anaesth., 1901, 4, 48.](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/b20457200_0484.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
