PERCAINE

Hokitika Guardian, 22 October 1930, Page 7

PERCAINE

NEW FORM OF ANAESTHETIC,

AUCKLAND, October 20

“Great strides are being made with T.B. diagnosis at Home by the X-ray process, and much research work is being carried- out at Victoria Park Hospital, where there are- highlyskilled men finding out all about surgery of the chest,” said Dr. J. B. MacDiarmid, of Tauranga, who returned to-dav by way of Australia from a visit to England. Dr. Mac Diarmid has been away for nine months, and during that time he has been doing post-graduate work in various hospitals. At Victoria Park there are 300 beds devoted to the study of chest troubles. “A new form of anaesthetic has been discovered and it is called percaine,” he said. “It has nothing to do with cocaine, and must not he confused with it. Pereaine has extraordinary powers in that a solution of one in two thousand is iust as effective as a strong solution of cocaine. The great advantage with percaine is that in the process of anaesthesia it deadens the tissues for a much longer period than is the case with cocaine. For instance, cocaine will save post-operation pain for about an hour. With percaine, however, post-operation pain is deadened for some- hours to the great advantage of the patient. In my opinion percaine will replace all other loqal anaesthetics in future