TOXIC FACTORS OF SOME OF THE COMMON ANESTHETIC SUBSTANCES

Much of the popular dread of an operation is based on fear of the anesthesia. The laity regards the possibility of a failure to regain consciousness as the chief hazard of most operations. This fear, of course, is traditional from the time when it was not infrequent for patients to die from a badly conducted anesthesia, while the operation was in progress. Surgeons also, even up to very recent times, felt that about the only danger from a narcosis was that of immediate death. The recognition of the condition of so-called "late chloroform poisoning" performed the very important function not only of awakening surgeons to the fact that death from chloroform may occur two or three days after its administration, but also of calling attention to a large number of toxic effects directly ascribable to the induction of general anesthesia, no matter by what anesthetic drug. Many of the unexpected,