Sodium Fluride and Optic Neuritis

maternal pulse rate, blood-pressure, or respiratory rate with either drug. The foetal heart was slowed with both drugs at half an hour, but that from oxymorphone was significantly greater than that from pethidine. However, this significance was only at the 5% level, and was not observed at later times. To conclude, we have been unable to demonstrate that oxymorphone is superior to pethidine when the two are used alone as analgesics in labour. Past experience with drug mixturesfor example, pethidine and phenothiazine-has led to the strong clinical impression that they are more effective as analgesics and sedatives in labour than oxymorphone or pethidine alone. Certainly neither oxymorphone nor pethidine represents the ideal obstetric analgesic.