DEATH UNDER CHLOROFORM.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 7418, 2 June 1902, Page 3

DEATH UNDER CHLOROFORM.

♦ THE ADaONISTRATION OF ANAESTHETICS. VIEWS OF A DENTIST. • Mr J. H. Fountain, who Las had twenty years' experience as a, dentisfc, has been good enou&h. to give a " Star " representative some account of his experiences in the administration of anaesthetics. He states that cases of collapse under chloroform or ether are always very sudden, and cannot possibly be foreseen. Of course a doctor will not administer an a-iuesthetic to a patient who is not thoroughly sound, and Mr Fountain's experience skuVs that doctors are always very careful in sounding their patients, and trying by every possible means to ascertain theifr fitness for operations. Collapses are always supposed to be due to excessive fright, or to the patient's disregarding the doctor's orders not to take food before the operation. In such cases, it. is quite impossible for the doctor or the dentist to foresee any disaster. Chloroform is in most cases more easily

taken than ether, for the action of the latter is, the foore invigorating, ar.d tends to put a high-pressure on the-, heart. Mr Fountain has had as many as seven operations under' anaesthetics in one day, and during his long experience has seen some cases of collapse.' On one occasion he operated ,with success on a young lady, chloroform being used. Some little time afterwards another operation was to be performed on the same patient, and she selec edtther. Under this she collapsed, but recovered, and in two months' time was strong enough to take chloroform again. She was strong and well when the ether waa administered, and it was quite impossible, to account for her collapse. Mr Fountain poiri's out that the people who blame doctors and dentists for accidents are acting very unfair!}', for the operators always take the greatest care of patients, and it would be extremely foolish to suppose that they would run any i':sks with a subject about whose fitness to take an anaesthetic there was the slightest shadow of doubt.