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Toxicology

Chloroform & Ether

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Chloroform

  • Effect of air & light
        • it undergoes decomposition and produces Carbonyl chloride ( Phosgene gas)-Very poisonous
        • Addition of 1% Alcohol and keeping in blue/ amber coloured bottles prevents changes
  • Clinical picture of overdose
        • Similar to other unaesthetic Agents
        • Stage of excitement, anaesthesia, and of paralysis
        • Delayed effect
          • Acute hepatic necrosis in 6 hrs to 10 days
        • Death due to Cardiac arrhythmia or respiratory failure

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Chloroform (cont.)

  • Fatal dose
          • Uncertain 5% or higher concentration
  • Fatal Period
          • A few minutes
  • Treatment
          • Stop inhalation
          • Artificial respiration with O2
          • Stomach wash if swallowed
          • Treat arrhythmia & cardiac arrest
  • PM Findings
          • Smell, asphyxial signs, Gen.congestion
          • Brain also preserved

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Ether

  • Similar to Chloroform but more irritation of Respiratory tract and more secretion
  • When swallowed effect like alcohol though more rapid in onset but shorter in duration
  • Fatal dose- Difficult to kill

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THANKS

The author acknowledges using material especially many illustrative images from the internet especially Wikipedia and other sources & research papers Law Library. The presentation was created only for academic purposes having no commercial motive and no record was kept individually for the source which was mostly in the public domain, hence individual acknowledgment and permission could not be taken.

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