Stovaine.—The New Anaesthetic

Otago Witness, Issue 2892, 18 August 1909, Page 76

Stovaine.— The New Anaesthetic

During the last few years repeated attempts have been made to discover some form of anaesthetic that will produce insensibility to pain without weakening the heart's action. Chloroform would, of course, ba an ideal anaesthetic if it did not tend to weaken the action of the heart and to embarrass the breathing in a considerable number of pati?nts; as it is, there is an appreciable danger in giving chloroform to weakly- patients, in consequence of which the medical profession has somewhat lost confidence in it as a routine anaesthetic. Moreover, recent researches have shown that certain individuals are unfortunately pr<?d;spo=cd by Nature to heart weakness, this weakness being characteristic of that remarkable condition krovsn to medical men a= the "=tatu» lymphaticus" ; people who are vhus constitutionally d;^po=-2<l usually show no sign of it during thoir lives, but are likely to die unaor chloroform or after sudden comparatively slight shocks. In many of the anaesthetic accid-ents winch have been recorded it has been found that this '•lymphatic" condition has been responsible for Ih-s fatal ending. Consequently endeavour* have boon made to find pome «v balance that will produce loss of sensibility to pain \\it!-out acting on tho heart, and prefeiably without producing uncon=ciQUiiit"-. Of course, ifc has long been known that, cocaine will produce anaesthesia of any part to which it is applied, but it is a. highly dangerous drug to uso in any but very small quantities, an<l bo can. only l<o ui^d to cloadcp the pain for such small operations as dental extractions, or opening ab<-ep£*e3 c!o-=e to the surface. Morphia will deaden pain, but will not :>ct a& an anaesthetic, unless given in such large dosf-3 that the patient's life is endangered thereby. Bo that as none of the drugs in general use were found suitable for acting as an anaesthetic. in the manner required, experiments have been carried out with less-known compounds. These investigations were eventually crowned with success, and about two years ago tho new anaesthetic — known as stovaine— was actually used in an operation on a human 6ubject. Like most other new forms, and owing to tho fact than more thar> one fatal issue was reported fiom the