On the employment of oxygen as a means of resuscitation in asphyxia, and otherwise as a remedial agent / by George Wilson.
- George Wilson
- Date:
- 1845
Licence: Public Domain Mark
Credit: On the employment of oxygen as a means of resuscitation in asphyxia, and otherwise as a remedial agent / by George Wilson. 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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![1*^, Can artificial respiration re-establish the circulation through the lungs after it has entirely ceased ] 2c/, Can it re-excite the contractions of the heart after they have entirely ceased V (P. 14.) The former of these questions, it is quite certain, may be answered in the affirmative. Many physiologists have made experiments on the subject, and in general with the same re- sult. Mr Erichsen and Dr Sharpey have recently prosecuted a lengthened inquiry into the matter, and their conclusion, as stated by the former, is, that their experiments clearly prove the possibility of the re-establishment of the circula- tion through the lungs after the heart's action has entirely ceased. In one case, for example, in which, however, the result was not more decisive than in many others, it is stated that although artificial respiration was not established until 37^ minutes after the ventricles had ceased to contract, yet the blood that had stagnated in the vessels of the lungs, ra- pidly became oxygenised, and passed in large quantity into the left cavities of the heai't. The second question is much more important than the first, since there can be no doubt that, if we had any means of re- storing the heart's action after it had entirely ceased, we should succeed in recovering many cases which are lost at present. Sir B. Brodie, who has made a number of experi- ments on the subject, is of opinion that the action of the heart cannot be re-excited by inflation of the lungs after it has once ceased. Mr Erichsen found that partial contrac- tion of the heart (viz. of the auricles) after it had ceased to act, might be excited by the insufilation of air ; but he never succeeded in restoring contractions of the ventricles by means of the inflation of the lungs with common air, pi'ovided they had fairly ceased to act before ai'tificial respiration was set up ; so that he thinks we may agree with Sir Benjamin Brodie, that the action of the heai't cannot in general be re- stored by this means after it has once ceased. But, on the other hand, there is never any difficulty in re-exciting the ac- tion of this organ, if regular contractions of the ventricles are still continuing, however feebly and slowly. (P. 47.)](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/b21472348_0008.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
