Report of the committee appointed by the Royal Medical and Chirurgical Society to inquire into the uses and the physiological, therapeutical, and toxical effects of chloroform, as well as into the best mode of administering it, and of obviating any ill consequences resulting from its administration.

  • Royal Medical and Chirurgical Society of London.
Date:
1864
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Report of the committee appointed by the Royal Medical and Chirurgical Society to inquire into the uses and the physiological, therapeutical, and toxical effects of chloroform, as well as into the best mode of administering it, and of obviating any ill consequences resulting from its administration. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the Francis A. Countway Library of Medicine, through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the Francis A. Countway Library of Medicine, Harvard Medical School.

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    Action of Chloroform on the Glottis and Fauces. During natural respiration it may be seen that the epiglottis is raised with each inspiration^ and that the vocal cords are separated to nearly twice their previous distance from each other. It may also be observed that slight mechanical irritation of the epiglottis or of the cords pro- duces no effect. When dilute chloroform vapour (5 per cent, or less) was blown upon the fauces or cords, very little inconvenience ensued, and the animal continued to breathe in a natural manner. If, however, air saturated with chloroform was employed, an instant and violent effort at deglutition was produced ; with this effort the whole pharynx was seen to become con- tracted, the larynx advanced, and the epiglottis became hidden by the act of swallowing. This act was repeated many times (the use of the strong vapour being continued), but it gradually became less vigorous, and after about a minute it ceased, the animal by this time generally passing under the influence of the chloroform. The epiglottis then became fixed; it projected forwards, both during expiration and inspiration; and the vocal cords approximated at each expiration. If the vapour was still administered the epiglottis was seen to move slightly with each inspiration, and at length, as the animal passed fully under the influence and stertorous breathing commenced, the epiglottis flapped backward and forward with each expiration and inspiration. If, on first administering the strong vapour, the epiglottis was gently raised, so as to expose the glottis to view, no spasm or contraction of the glottis itself could be observed. In order to discover how far these conditions depended upon the direct action of chloroform, the same agent was administered by the trachea, and the movements of the fauces and glottis were watched from above. It was found that there was generally a single effort at deglutition ;