1. ETHER IN MEDICINE BEFORE ANAESTHESIA

Ether anaesthesia, 1842-1900.

The present position of ether anaesthesia.

Ether has been our good friend and trusted helper for one hundred years. But, to-day, some of our colleagues maintain that this drug should not be used, although many experienced practitioners still consider ether to be one of the best anaesthetic agents. This difference of opinion arises, I believe, because of the absence of a clear differentiation between the action of the anaesthetic drug an...

Convulsion during ether anaesthesia; a case report.

A five-year-old girl was admitted to Hammer-smith Hospital with a diagnosis of a perforated appendix. Her mother stated that she had complained of pain in the R.I.F. for 12 hours prior to admission, that during that time she had vomited periodically and was "breathing very fast." The pain had become severe in the evening and she was brought up to the Casualty Department. Physical examination re...

Herbal medicine and anaesthesia.

Herbal medicines are increasingly used in both western and Chinese societies. This is partly attributed to the alleged limitations of scientific medicine in the cure and control of chronic diseases. Many patients do not disclose that they have used herbs before surgery and hence their physicians remain unaware of the potential herb-drug interactions. With respect to anaesthesia, herbs can cause...

Changes in respiratory physiology during ether--air anaesthesia.

Measurements of arterial oxygen and carbon dioxide tension, alveolar ventilation, alveolar to arterial oxygen difference, and ratio of deadspace to tidal volume have been made to show the changes induced by ether/air anaesthesia with spontaneous respiration, with mechanical ventilation, and with mechanical overventilation. There was a disproportionate fall in oxygen tension during spontaneous r...