SPINAL ANESTHESIA, insensibility to pain produced by injecting an anws thetic into the spinal fluid. It was first used by Dr. Leonard Corning, of New York, in the year 1885, and in Europe by August Bier, of Berlin. It is chiefly of value where the health of the patient renders general anwsthesia inadvisable, as, for instance, in diseases of the respiratory organs, in alcoholism or diabetes. It is generally employed for operations on the lower part of the body, the injection being made through the fourth lumbar interspace while the pa tient is sitting in an upright position. Jonnesco, of Bucharest, however, injected the anaesthetic into the dorsal region of the spinal canal, and was thus able to anaesthetize and operate on the upper part of the body. Cocaine was used in the earlier experiments, but eucaine, novocaine and stovaine were later sub stituted as being less toxic. Jonnesco used a mixture of stovaine and strych nine. When only the lower part of the
body is to be operated on, it is possible to anmsthetize that part only, the patient retaining consciousness throughout the operation. Generally speaking, spinal amusthesia is more common on the Euro pean continent than in the United States or in England. In the latter countries it is looked upon only as a substitute for general anwsthesia. It frequently pro duces undesirable after effects, including general weakness, nausea, and even par tial temporary paralysis. Jonnesco's method of application is looked upon as dangerous, although it is claimed in Eu rope that it is no more dangerous than general amusthesia and that the per centage of deaths is even less. It is possible that its use may develop as im provements in methods of application are worked out.