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286 DENTAL MEDICINE.

Therapeutic Use.—As an anaesthetic.
Hydrate of Amylene is a tertiary alcohol first prepared by
Wurtz. It is a colorless, watery-looking fluid, with a sharp
taste and smell, and is soluble in eight times its volume of al-
cohol. It is generally regarded as a safe and reliable narcotic
and hypnotic, sleep being produced in from fifteen to forty-
five minutes, and sometimes almost instantly. When large
doses are given, sleep may be induced in five or eight minutes,
and as a rule its actions are prompt and safe. Contraindi-
cations of the drug have not yet been observed, but in cases
of severe gastric troubles and ulcerations of the pharynx, it should
be given per anus. Its action may be briefly summed up as
follows :
1. Hydrate of amylene is a hypnotic whose action can be
confidently relied upon when sufficiently large doses are given.
Experiments have shown that it is not so strong as chloral, yet
stronger than paraldehyde.
2. Hydrate of amylene also acts upon persons who are ac-
customed to the use of hypnotics, although the dose employed in
such cases must be comparatively large.
3. Sleep occurs soon after the administration of the drug,
and is not preceded by any period of excitement. The sleep
produced is light or heavy, according to the dose given ; yet it is
always easy to awaken the patient. Upon waking, the patient is
perfectly sensible and bright, but if not disturbed further will fall
asleep again.
4. Sleep lasts from two to three hours if small doses have
been given, or from six to eight hours under the influence of
larger doses.
The awaking is similar to that from natural sleep. The
5.
patient feels rested and strengthened. No headache or weakness
was ever observed.
6. The respiration remains unchanged.
The change in the pulse's frequency and in the press-
7.
ure of blood is no more than that which accompanies natural
sleep.
8. The patients were never observed to wake up with a bad