alantwo Posted 29 December , 2014 Share Posted 29 December , 2014 I have come across two anaesthetics used in operations on board HMHS Assaye described as "CH3CL + Ether" and "CHCL3". I take them to be some form of chloroform but can anyone tell me something about them and what the letters stand for? Is there any difference between the two; would they have been used for different types of operation for example? Thanks in advance. Regards Alan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JWK Posted 29 December , 2014 Share Posted 29 December , 2014 CHCL3 is Choroform http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chloroform CH3CL is Chloromethane http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chloromethane Ether ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diethyl_ether ) was also used as an anaesthetic, but why they would use it together with a refrigerant I don't know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doc2 Posted 29 December , 2014 Share Posted 29 December , 2014 combinations of inhalant anesthetics were commonly used at that era, if available. The theory was that adequate anesthesia would be maintained, with fewer side effects. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron Clifton Posted 30 December , 2014 Share Posted 30 December , 2014 The letters are the chemical formulae. C carbon, H hydrogen, Cl Chlorine. Ron Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alantwo Posted 31 December , 2014 Author Share Posted 31 December , 2014 Thanks to all for your contributions. I'm not sure I understand why a refrigerant is being used, is it simply a clerical error? But that in its self seems odd, a surgeon or nurse making the entry would know the difference. It is also recorded as "+ Ether", thus even a clerical error is strange, why have two types of anaesthetic? Thanks again, I'll keep digging. Regards Alan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CGM Posted 31 December , 2014 Share Posted 31 December , 2014 Chloromethane is (was) not just used as a refrigerant and obviously this use is not applicable in this context. However, it has been used as a local anesthetic, which would certainly be relevant. SEE HERE. (It is also mentioned in JWK's link in #2). CGM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fv1620 Posted 31 December , 2014 Share Posted 31 December , 2014 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alantwo Posted 2 January , 2015 Author Share Posted 2 January , 2015 Thanks again everyone for the additional contributions. Regards Alan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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