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Chemical Aspects of General Anesthesia: Part I. From Ether to Halothane
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Abstract
In this article we summarize the first one hundred and ten years of general anesthesia from 1846 to 1956. Although the medical profession was slow to use ether or chloroform induced anesthesia, by the end of the 19th century significant numbers of surgeons were relying upon these volatile liquids to provide unconsciousness, analgesia, muscle relaxation, and amnesia. Events leading up to the adoption of a "balanced" approach, where a sequence of individual compounds is used rather than a single agent, are described. The process began in 1934 with the first use of thiopental as an intravenous induction anesthetic and was advanced with the use of the muscle relaxant curare in surgery in 1942. Synthesis of a new inhalational anesthetic, halothane, in the 1950s provided the third and final element. Original syntheses of compounds are included, as are correlations of activities with structures.
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- Received: August 03, 2009
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