ABSTRACT
The substances which are denoted by the word “anaesthetics” differ from the drugs which the older surgeons sometimes administered before an operation, in order to lull the patient’s sense of pain. They differ in their nature and in the mode of their administration; by the certainty and completeness of their action; by the entirely transient effects they produce, which pass off without leaving a trace. The black circles represent nitrogen atoms, and the open ones oxygen atoms; the symbols are placed below in order that their relation to the supposed atomic constitution may be obvious at a glance. The extraordinary effects of ether and chloroform have introduced new and important facts into psychological science, and have illustrated and extended some of the most interesting results of physiological research. Let us trace the action of these substances, and explain it as far as may be. Nitrous oxide, ether vapour, and chloroform vapour are all soluble in watery fluids.
