Anaesthetics used in experiments on animals / issued by The Research Defence Society.

  • Research Defence Society (Great Britain)
Date:
[1908?]
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: Anaesthetics used in experiments on animals / issued by The Research Defence Society. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The Royal College of Surgeons of England. The original may be consulted at The Royal College of Surgeons of England.

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    Finally, many witnesses before the Royal Commission were asked as to the possibility of pain occurring from the passing off of the anaesthesia in an animal that had also received an injection of curare. Prof Starling is asked : “ Are there any means, other than the cries or struggles of the animal, by which you can tell whether the anaesthetic is passing off? ” And he answers : “ Yes, you can tell it by the blood pressure. Struggles have also what we call, their visceral side. This activity of the muscles of the body is associated with activity of the centres which govern the blood-vessels, and when one is working without curare one notices that the pressure goes up, and then, if one does not attend to it, after that comes a little movement, and you give more anaesthetic.” Q. 4055. “So that the presence of curare does not prevent your knowing whether the anaesthesia is complete ?” A. No, it would make it more difficult; but you have that clue. What one does, of course, is to ensure the complete anaesthesia, and continue that anaesthesia during the curare—continue the same amount. Dr. Laugley, Professor of Physiology at Cambridge, is questioned on this same point, and answers [Q. 15169) : “ I have had experience of the use of curare for particu- lar experiments, and having obtained a knowledge of the way to administer anaesthetics, I am confident that there is no difficulty in keeping up the anaesthesia while curare is given. The operator must start with complete anaesthesia, and he must know from past experience the amount of the anaesthetic which it is necessary to give in order to maintain it. For instance, with chloroform, the chloroform is g;iven at the intervals and in such doses as his previous experience has shown will maintain cora- E