IndexExploration of 170 Years of ControversyChloroform in Criminal ActivitiesConclusionSurgical procedures are painful, no doubt. Even with the progress of medicine in the field of anesthesia, some complications (regardless of the type) are to be expected in patients undergoing anesthesia, such as bradycardia, post-puncture headache, hypotension and sensation of pain despite an adequate dose of analgesia. How do we know exactly if the operated patient is in pain? Most indications were clinical (there is no machine that can tell you with absolute certainty that the patient is in paint) and often judged based on the patient's vital signs which can be quite suggestive of pain, e.g. blood pressure and heart rate may indicate that the amount of analgesia given to the patient was inadequate. Eventually, an anesthesiologist in charge will increase the dosage of the analgesic or any other drug to achieve stabilization which will provide a less painful experience for the patient. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Being sedated during surgery is the fundamental principle of anesthesia (although some procedures do not require sedation, for example local anesthetic) along with other agents that could relieve pain and reduce movement to provide surgeons optimal surgical conditions thus reducing postoperative complications. There are many thin arteries, veins, and nearby organs that can potentially be damaged during surgery if patients move, so the use of muscle relaxants (depolarizing or non-depolarizing) is justified to facilitate certain procedures. Although there are many chemicals that can be used as anesthetic agents today, in the past the number of options for pain relief was quite limited. In 2250 BC, most cases of toothache experienced by the Babylonians were treated by administering henbane, a type of rather poisonous plant, often used to treat certain medical conditions such as asthma, cough, diseases related to the nervous system and certainly, a toothache. If you were thinking that sedation before surgical procedures is practiced only after the discovery of modern medicine, you were wrong. By 650 BC, most priestesses used ethylene fumes to induce sedation among patients before any type of sedation. of procedure. In 400 BC, the Assyrians discovered that they could temporarily induce unconsciousness by compressing the carotid artery to perform some simple surgical procedures such as cataract surgery and circumcision without too much fuss. In the year 160, Hua Tuo performed surgery after patients were induced with a method similar to general anesthesia using a mixture of wine and herbs called Mafeisan. People generally understand the importance of placing patients into an unconscious state before starting an operation, but because there were many complications (including death) documented in many journals associated with certain types of anesthetic agents, people became restless. There are many modern anesthetic agents that are no longer used due to their fatal complications, but in reality people in the past didn't have much of a choice in the matter. In this article we will talk about one of the most popular anesthetic agents in the past because it was used to calm Queen Victoria during her birth. Let's talk about @cloroformio.Exploring 170 years of controversy Even though chloroform was discovered by three independent researchers in 1831, people don'tI was unaware of its anesthetic properties until it was finally demonstrated in 1847 by a Scottish obstetrician named Professor James Simpson. He tried to search for an "ideal" anesthetic chemical that can be used to anesthetize patients during the operation while imposing minimal side effects (pain, for most parts). His determination stemmed from the bad experience of witnessing a breast removal operation performed in 1827 when he was a medical student. Back then, reliable anesthetic agents had not yet been discovered, so surgical procedures were usually performed with speed and precision to reduce patient suffering. The sensation of pain was considered unavoidable, so patients were heavily dependent on the surgeons' skills while being restrained by devices to prevent movement. During the surgery, Simpson felt traumatized as he had to witness the patient's suffering while the surgical cuts were made. His movements were limited by both the leather straps and some other assistants, so they were basically messed up bodies that needed to be dealt with as soon as they could. It's not a sight you would have admired or appreciated and he almost dropped out of medical school because of it; fortunately he didn't. Instead of quitting, he committed himself to finding a suitable anesthetic agent that could alleviate the suffering of patients, especially in surgical settings. Most of the answers he got from his professors when he was a medical student were discouraging, and only when he became a full-fledged medical officer was he able to experiment with a number of chemicals and procedures to test their effectiveness on his patients; Have you ever experienced mesmerism! People often used the words mesmerism and hypnosis interchangeably, but both induced trance (an altered state of consciousness) through different methods. Mesmerism focused on the use of non-verbal signals such as gaze, taps, etc. While hypnotism used verbal cues. Of course, mesmerism is not a good choice when it comes to medicine, even its founder, Franz Anton Mesmer, was kicked out of Venice for practicing it, but Simpson was willing to try anything to improve the current state of surgical protocols; however, none of this works. In 1846 he heard about a chemical called ether that could be used as an inhaled agent to relieve pain during dental procedures. He tried using it in his medical practice, but soon realized that there are many side effects caused by that particular volatile agent, not to mention the fact that, at the time, a huge portion of the medical community opposed it. use of volatile agents as anesthesia. . Despite the frustration, he gained a considerable amount of experience and knowledge regarding volatile compounds. Exposure to all kinds of volatile compounds led him to chloroform in 1847, a year after his failed attempt to use ether as an anesthetic agent. Mind you, volatile compounds have been a hot topic since the discovery of chloroform in 1831, but their potential benefits were considered less than they deserved. In November 1847 he revealed chloroform as a potential anesthetic agent that can be used to induce the patient before surgery. His discovery is so significant that he is credited with discovering it and saving Queen Victoria from suffering during her childbirth; none of which are true. According to the historical press, although Simpson's works after the discovery of chloroform can be considered significant or probably greater than chloroform, they have received less attention frompart of the medical community and the public; everyone wanted to celebrate or hate him for the discovery of chloroform; so unfortunate. He recognized the fact that chloroform is a powerful agent that can be used to sedate people during surgery and, at the same time, take life if the dosage applied to an individual was excessive. There have been many debates, arguments and confusion regarding the use of such agent which requires careful consideration of the patient's condition which can ultimately cause death if miscalculated. It is, however, worth noting that the use of chloroform revolutionized battlefield medicine due to its rapid onset of action, ease of use, and high success rate documented on numerous occasions. during wars . In the Crimean War, the British used chloroform almost universally in their operations; the French also exhibited it very extensively, and Baudens, one of their leading military surgical authorities, declares that they had not a single fatal accident from it, although it was given to them during the Eastern campaign at least thirty thousand times. In America, however, chloroform was recognized as one of the most effective anesthetic agents only after the Civil War of 1861 and was used by doctors for routine surgical procedures. It was quite appropriate to start using such an inhalation agent after it had been documented in the records regarding the use of chloroform as the agent of choice to treat 80,000 people (through surgical methods) without much fuss; they used chloroform alone or mixed it with ether to enhance its therapeutic effects. Although the success rate seems high, there have been many deaths documented as part of the consequences caused by chloroform, starting with a child in 1848, a year after Simpson began using it as his preferred anesthetic agent. Incorrect calculation or excessive exposure to this chemical for patients can cause cardiac arrest and then death within 2 minutes. When Simpson first discovered the anesthetic properties of chloroform, he tried it on himself, putting him into a deep sleep. Fortunately, he woke up the next day, otherwise the world will be deprived of such an anesthetic agent a few decades after its announcement. Chloroform in Crime-Related Activities I think people are quite familiar with the idea that chloroform is used by criminals to induce their victims into a state of unconsciousness so that they can be easily kidnapped or killed. Although this idea is quite popular, most documents seem to agree with the fact that the application of chloroform on a handkerchief and the like is considered an inappropriate tool to use in kidnappings and all related crimes requiring l unconsciousness of non-consenting subjects. individuals. There are some cases that can be given as evidence, but most of the popular press seems to hate it if this fact turns out to be wrong; they still believe that in any criminal activity using chloroform, the chemical itself is the reason people are unconscious. Well, the method of inducing victims seems to resemble the act of inducing patients before an operation, but there are many factors that can be considered before saying that chloroform is the root of all evil. In 1850, an elderly clergyman stayed at the Temperance Hotel located in Kendal, Cumbria, England. He was on a mission to collect donations for the needy and successfully collected eleven gold sovereigns which is considered a lot. Unfortunately for him, a young man traveling alongside him was planning to steal those sovereigns so he dampened a towel with some.