II. A CLINICAL APPRAISAL OF THE NARCOTIC POWER OF METHADONE AND ITS ISOMERS
Our purpose in this study was to determine (1) the analgesic power of methadone and three of its isomers in comparison with morphine sulfate and (2) whether, on the basis of side action liability, the methadones offer any therapeutic advantage over morphine. The forms of methadone studied were: d,l-methadone (6-dimethylamino-4,4-diphenyl-heptanone-3), l-methadone (the optically active levorotatory isomer of d,l-methadone), d,l-isomethadone (6-dimethylamino-5-methyl-4, 4-diphenyl-hexanone-3) and l-isomethadone (the optically active levorotary isomer of d,l-isomethadone).
METHOD
The method employed has been described in detail in Part I.
RESULTS
Clinical Material.—
Four hundred and twenty-nine postoperative patients from the gynecologic, orthopedic and general surgical wards were used for the evaluation of the analgesic power and the side action liability of morphine and the four methadones. Table 4 shows the age and sex