Methyl-n-propyl ether.

ETHER is an isomer of di-ethyl ether and possesses the formula CHs-O-(CHI)J-CHJ. The physical properties of the two drugs are similar, and the vapour pressure curve of methyl-n-propyl ether is such that it may be used in the Oxford Vaporizer No. 1 without any alteration in the calibration of the instrument (see Figure). Methyl-n-propyl ether has a very unpleasant pungent odour. This was found to prevent its use as an analgesic agent for women in labour, and it is unpleasant in operating theatres when the drug is administered in open circuits as an anaesthetic agent. The use of methyl-n-propyl ether as an anaesthetic agent was first described in 1946 by White et al. This paper is based on the experiences of the authors in a small series of twenty cases in which it was used as an anaesthetic agent. The series is small but was abandoned when it was appreciated that the drug had no outstanding advantages. In none of these cases was the drug used in combination with any of the muscle relaxant drugs, as it was our intention to investigate the basic effects of the ether, and not to develop a technique for its use. Methyl-n-propyl ether produces a remarkable degree of analgesia without loss of consciousness. This was discovered when trying to assess the degree of recovery in one of the patients by pressure on the supra-orbital nerve. The patient 83