A treatise on the inhalation of the vapour of ether, for the prevention of pain in surgical operations; containing a numerous collection of cases in which it has been applied. With the names of the operators, history of the discovery ... / [James Robinson].

  • James Robinson
Date:
1847
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: A treatise on the inhalation of the vapour of ether, for the prevention of pain in surgical operations; containing a numerous collection of cases in which it has been applied. With the names of the operators, history of the discovery ... / [James Robinson]. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    said that he had felt more pain than he expected. After his removal, Mr. Stanley said that the man confessed that he had at one time been a free drinker, and this was probably the cause why the ether did not affect him. The next patient was a little boy who had ruptured his urethra by a fall, and required an operation to reéstablish the natural current of the urine. The vapour was administered by Mr. Tracy, by means of an apparatus of his invention, and in about four minutes Mr. Skey commenced the operation, which was necessarily a tedious and, a little time ago, we might have added, a very painful one. The boy, however, showed little, if any, symptom of suffering. With one or two short in- termissions, the inhalation was continued during the operation. His breathing was once or twice laborious, the abdomen heaving a good deal, but the withdrawal of the tube from his mouth quickly removed this state. His face, and even the whole sur- face of the skin, was somewhat purple the greater part of the time. At the end of the operation, he seemed very cheerful, and when questioned, said, that when he began to feel a little pain, they told him to ‘‘ breathe again, and then he did not feel it.’ This patient went on inhaling for about twenty-five minutes, with short intervals.— Lancet. ST. THOMAS’S HOSPITAL. 1. The ether was first inhaled by a patient, a strong man, of full habit, with disease of the hand, requiring operation. The inhalation was performed by means of an apparatus, as devised by Dr. Boott and Mr. Robinson, and perfect insensi- bility was produced. There were, however, so much coughing, turgidity of the face, quickened circulation, with dilatation of the pupils, threatening congestion of the brain and lungs, that it was not thought proper by Dr. Leeson and Mr. Mack- murdo to continue the inhalation, or to operate upon the patient. 2. A child, aged six years, inhaled the ether in the operating room, and became perfectly insensible for the space of two minutes and a half, during which the index finger of the right hand was taken off by Mr. Mackmurdo. No pain was felt during the operation, and even when the hand was held before him, the child would not believe that the finger had been removed.—Lancet. MIDDLESEX HOSPITAL. On Monday last, at the Middlesex Hospital, the efficacy of the ether was put to as severe a test as it has yet been subjected to. A man of 68 had been admitted with symptoms of stone and diseased bladder ; so much pain, strain- ing, and struggling attended the attempts at sounding, that it was with diffi- culty satisfactorily accomplished. The vesical tenesmus was incessant, amount- ing to incontinence of urine. Endeavours were made for several weeks to allay this extreme irritability, so that some urine might be retained or some water received as an injection, but in vain, neither could be endured ; lithotrity was consequently out of the question ; and Mr. Arnott determined to perform the operation of lithotomy, unpromising as the case was, but, if possible, whilst the patient was under the influence of the ether. In seven minutes from the commencement, but in reality only two from the effectual inhalation, its influence was obtained. The catheter was then introduced, and some water attempted to be injected, but not above two or three ounces could be borne, and this, retained by pressure, was ejected immediately on the introduction of the staff, which, owing to the state of the parts, was effected with some difficulty and consequent delay ; the bladder was cut into; the stone was grasped at once, but crumbled under the forceps, requiring their re-introduction several times ; the scoop was employed to remove calculous matter like mortar; and, lastly, the bladder was injected four or five times, so as to wash it out. Dur- ing the whole time, from first to last, the patient gave not the slightest indica- tion of suffering ; indeed, it was not until he was removed to bed and had been D
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