Experiments with chloroform,administered by intratracheal insufflation,in strychnine poisoning

Abstract

Soon after the introduction of the method of intratracheal insufflation, experiments were begun to study the control of strychnine poisoning by means of this method. So far three series of investigations were carried out. In the first series Shaklee and Meltzer employed, besides insufflation, curare and intravenous infusions of Ringer's solution. In these experiments it was first established that in intravenous injections, 0.4 mgr. of strychnine represents a reliable fatal dose per kilo dog. When using insufflation, curare and Ringer's solution quite a large percentage of dogs were saved which received even more than the fatal dose. Out of 6 dogs which received 0.5 mgr. per kilo, 5 were saved, and out of 22 dogs which received 0.8 mgs. p. kilo 13 were saved.

In a second series of experiments, carried out by the present authors and communicated at the last meeting of the American Pharmacological Society, ether was substituted for curare. Twenty dogs which received 0.8 mgr. strychnine per kilo, that is, twice the fatal dose, were subsequently treated by intratracheal insufflation, ether and intravenous injections of Ringer's solution. All these dogs survived, none died later from after effects and when finally killed the autopsy revealed no abnormal conditions in any of the animals.