Chloroform's Early Days

Your notice of the diseovery o chloroform in 1847 recalls a ourious experionce in my Cambridge undergraduate Ufe, says H. C. M. in the London News. One evening in January, 18Ö1, Í went into a ehemist's shop and ordered aome photographio chemicals to be sent to my rooms hard by; I was lodging on the parade. Seeing an ounce bottle of chloroform on tho counter, I bought it out o curiosity and took it away with me, leaving the chemicals to follow. In my own rooms, seated in an armchair. 1 put four drops on my handkerehief, and carefully placing the bottle ou the tapio at some distance froin mo, I sniffed the ha'ndkerchief. A pleasant sensation and a singing in my ears was the only result. !-o shortly afterward, I counted out eight drops and acted as belore. The next thing I remember is finding myself on the floor on my back, my dress undone, my face, etc, dripping with cold water and hearing a voice: "He's coming to, I do believe. " Yes, it was so. I carne to after having been unconscious two hours and a half. Next day my doctor, when out with the foxhounds, was greeted with "Hulloa, doctor. So you raised a man from the dead last night." "You may well say that," was thereply, "for I had sriven up all hope. " I was very puzzled to account for the effect of my carefully measured dose. All I could gather from the servant was that she had brought me up a parcel from the chemist, and seeing me asleep, tried to wake me. Then, "finding I was dead," ran down into the shop, calling out: "Mr. M is dead." Two Trinity men were in the shop. One went on to the 6 p. m. chapel, telling everyone of my sudden death; the other, after a glance at me, kindly called in Dr. C . f-ome time afterward the mystery was cleared up. The "slavey" gave warning, and the day she left she made the iollowing confession: "You remember that night you was nearly dead, sir. Well. you know, sir, I thought vou had fainted, and I see the bottle on the table and thought it was 8alts, so I took out the stoDper and held it to your nose, but as it didn't do no good 1 poured a lot of it into my hand and rubbed it all over your nose and mouth." I told the doctor the story. He replied: "Well, my dear fellow, all I can say ís this: If ever you have to undergo an operation, you can teil your family doctor that you can take chloroform." Thank God, that necessity has never arisen. "