CHLOROFORM
AND CATARACT EXTRACTION. "
of the Sir,?The following case To the Editor
Indian Medical Gazette may be of interest to some
of your readers :? A Hindoo male, set. about 50 years, came to the Karnal DisHe had completely pensary to consult me about his eyes. lost the sight of the right eye by previous ophthalmia. In the left eye the cornea was clear. The lens was opaque and presented all the appearances of ordinary senile hard cataract. He was unable to discern fingers placed in front of the eye, but coild distinguish light from darkness. He had never had any pain in this eye, but the intraocular pressure seemed abnormally great, and the pupil was extremely dilated, though sensitive to light to a very slight extent. I was opposed.to operative
interference in this case, but as the man was quite blind, and both he and his friends were very anxious for me to do something for him, I determined to extract the cataract by the modified linear operation, though I did not hope for any degree The next day, the iris being already widely of success. dilated, I put the man under chloroform without previously inserting a drop of atropine solution, as is my usual custom. The man took chloroform very badly indeed, and at one time its administration had to.be discontinued owing to respiration ceasing, which: however soon recommenced, when the chloroform was stopped for a few minutes. The man being completely anaesthetised, I inserted the spring speculum, and to.my surprise, found the iri3 in an extreme state of contraction,' the opaque lens being scarcely discernible through the pupillary opening. This state of things continued for several minutes, so I determined on abandoning the ojieration for that day at any rate. The man took ; a long time recovering I carefully watched the confrom the effects of the chloroform. dition of his iris during this time, which, as the man gradually regained consciousness, began to dilate, and in about an hour's time had returned to its original state of extreme dilatation. I may mention that the chloroform used was the same,. and out of the same bottle as that which I always use for inhalation, nor have I ever before noticed any change in the pupil while patients were under its influence. The man had received no medicine previous to the inhalation, except I oz. of castor oil the evening before, and he had not eaten or drunk, anything that morning. I can find no mention of chloroform having any marked effect on the pupil when inhaled, and I am not aware of a cage of this sort having been recorded before. If any of your readers would kindly state their experience as to whether chloroform ever has the effect of causing strongcontraction of the pupil under peculiar conditions, I should fee
greatly obliged.
Yours
faithfully, G. W. P. Dennys,
Kamal, 2jrd March, 1883.
Civil-Surgeon,, Kar.nah
AND CATARACT EXTRACTION. "
of the Sir,?The following case To the Editor
Indian Medical Gazette may be of interest to some
of your readers :? A Hindoo male, set. about 50 years, came to the Karnal DisHe had completely pensary to consult me about his eyes. lost the sight of the right eye by previous ophthalmia. In the left eye the cornea was clear. The lens was opaque and presented all the appearances of ordinary senile hard cataract. He was unable to discern fingers placed in front of the eye, but coild distinguish light from darkness. He had never had any pain in this eye, but the intraocular pressure seemed abnormally great, and the pupil was extremely dilated, though sensitive to light to a very slight extent. I was opposed.to operative
interference in this case, but as the man was quite blind, and both he and his friends were very anxious for me to do something for him, I determined to extract the cataract by the modified linear operation, though I did not hope for any degree The next day, the iris being already widely of success. dilated, I put the man under chloroform without previously inserting a drop of atropine solution, as is my usual custom. The man took chloroform very badly indeed, and at one time its administration had to.be discontinued owing to respiration ceasing, which: however soon recommenced, when the chloroform was stopped for a few minutes. The man being completely anaesthetised, I inserted the spring speculum, and to.my surprise, found the iri3 in an extreme state of contraction,' the opaque lens being scarcely discernible through the pupillary opening. This state of things continued for several minutes, so I determined on abandoning the ojieration for that day at any rate. The man took ; a long time recovering I carefully watched the confrom the effects of the chloroform. dition of his iris during this time, which, as the man gradually regained consciousness, began to dilate, and in about an hour's time had returned to its original state of extreme dilatation. I may mention that the chloroform used was the same,. and out of the same bottle as that which I always use for inhalation, nor have I ever before noticed any change in the pupil while patients were under its influence. The man had received no medicine previous to the inhalation, except I oz. of castor oil the evening before, and he had not eaten or drunk, anything that morning. I can find no mention of chloroform having any marked effect on the pupil when inhaled, and I am not aware of a cage of this sort having been recorded before. If any of your readers would kindly state their experience as to whether chloroform ever has the effect of causing strongcontraction of the pupil under peculiar conditions, I should fee
greatly obliged.
Yours
faithfully, G. W. P. Dennys,
Kamal, 2jrd March, 1883.
Civil-Surgeon,, Kar.nah
