Licence: Public Domain Mark
Credit: Inhalation of ether / by J. Mason Warren. 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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![INHALATION OF ETHER. BY J. MASON WARREN, M.D. ONK OK THE SURGKOSS OF THK MASSACHUSETTS GENERAL HOSPITAL. [From the Boston Medical and Surgical Journal.] The practical importance of this valuable discovery for the relief of human suffering is now very generally admitted, and its use for this purpose becoming more extensive both at home and abroad. It there- fore is a subject of much interest to determine, by the observation of its effects in a number of persons of different ages, sexes and temperaments, to what class of patients it is applicable, when its use should be desisted from, and, also, what length of time the inhalation may be continued. This latter point requires especially to be settled, as it was a question at first, whether in surgical operations requiring for their performance a longer space of time than six or seven minutes, the suffering could be annihilated. Another question of interest also presented itself to the mind of the surgeon ; which was, whether, in operations of much delicacy, the violent muscular movements, which were occasionally observed, or the sudden starts consequent on a return to consciousness, would not interfere with the safe prosecution of the dissection. These considerations have led me to draw up an account of the history of a number of cases in surgical practice under my observation, since the first introduction of this remedy, which will assist in solving some of die above-mentioned propositions. For the sake of convenience I shall attempt some arrangement of these cases, according to the age and constitutional effects. Some of them I shall give more in detail than is absolutely necessary to illustrate the effects of the ether, on account of their interest in a surgical point of view. The first cases will be those of children.](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/b21478855_0003.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
