Stovaine, the New Anesthetic
Stovaine, the new anesthetic, is receiving much attention in medical circles just now. It is used largely as a spinal anesthetic. Cocain was once so used. The method was devised by Dr. J. L. Corning, an American; but it fell into disuse, as it was found that the powerful poison brought into direct contact with so delicate an organism as the spinal cord left bad after results. Dr. Jonnesco, a Rumanian surgeon, now in America, is using the new compound drug stovaine in the same way. He tells us that in 1,015 cases stovaine has been used as a spinal anesthetic "without a death and without any serious complication either during anesthesia or afterward;" that these operations have been performed on the skull, the throat, the neck, the breast, as well as the lower parts of the person; that it has been used on all classes, from the infant of a year old to a woman of threescore and ten years. The use of the drug does not destroy consciousness, while it eliminates all pain. American surgeons, however, do not yet accept all that is claimed for the wonderful drug, especially its use in the upper part of the body when the heart and lungs are likely to be affected. It will prove a great blessing if the later after effects are not serious. But there is still the if. See article in McClure's Magazine for March.