ANASTHESIA BY THE INTRACEREBRAL INJECTION OF

MAGNESIUM CHLORIDE

V. E. HENDERSON

From the Laboratory of Pharmacology of the University of Toronto

Received for publication, June 4, 1909

The production of anasthesia by the intracerebral injection of

magnesium chloride was directly suggested by Meltzer, and no claim
is made for originality of suggestion. The method has, however,
yielded such satisfactory results in this laboratory in the past year
during which we have almost exclusively employed it for cats and
in many cases for rabbits and dogs, that it seemed worth while to
draw some general attention to it, as a useful laboratory method.
The need for doing so was the more felt as we attribute in part the
success of some of the experiments on ergot published in the succeed-
ing paper to its employment in place of any volatile anasthetic.
In cats and rabbits the technique which has been used is as follows.
With an awl having a three-sided rather blunt point a hole was rap-
idly made through the skin and skull. The skin was held firm, the
awl withdrawn, a hypodermic needle passed into the brain and directed
towards one cerebral cortex into which 0.25 cc. or more of an
magnesium chloride solution was injected. The needle was usually
not held still during the injection so that the fluid was somewhat
distributed. This needle was then directed in turn to the other hemi-
sphere and to the cerebellum. If it was wished to leave the medul-
lary centers intact greater care had to be used not to inject too large
a quantity of fluid in any one place than if this was not required.
In all 1 to 3 cc. were used. With care a complete loss of cerebral
reflexes can be obtained while those of the medulla are intact. The
blood-pressure remains good, as may be seen from the protocols, and
the anasthesia is constant for several hours. In small dogs the same
technique may be used, as indeed it may on larger animals, but in
200 v. E. HENDERSON

the latter case owing to the thickness of the skull the operation takes
2 to 3 minutes, while in the case of small animals the operation, after
a little practice, may be completed in less than a minute. When the
skull is thick the distribution of the aruesthetic is more difficult.
In large animals the skull can be trephined the previous day. It
occasions as a rule far less struggling than the use of ether or high
pithing. In some cases the injection has been made through the
foramen magnum, but the medullary centers were always affected.
The advantages arise from the avoidance of any general anasthetic
and hence any local disturbance of the function of glands, vessels,
etc. This is exceedingly important for many types of experiment.
In experiments in the laboratory on high-pithed animals, frequent
semi-convulsive movements and from time to time sudden changes
in respiration rate and of blood pressure have been noted. These
changes have been attributed to the spread of blood from the inemor-
rhages necessarily produced in the process of pithing. Such changes
very rarely occur with the method recommended. The blood pressure
remains constant, though often at a somewhat lower level than pre-
viously, or shows a very slow decline, which will not obscure the
effect looked for in any ordinary experiment. As pointed out by
Meltzer the respiratory center is much more sensitive to the action
of magnesium than are the other centers, and consequently only
with the greatest care can the respiration be maintained intact. One
should count on having to resort to the use of artificial respiration
within five minutes of the injection.
Protocols. Dog, female, 15 kgm. morphine, 10 mgm. per kgm., when quiet tre-
phined with awl and magnesium chloride injected slowly, in several places in both
cerebral hemispheres. In all 2 to 4 cc. used. Manometer connections made to carotid
at 9.30, pressure 100 mm. Hg. Operation involving placing canulte in jugular vein,
pancreatic and bile ducts and in duodenum. Blood pressure at 9.30, five minutes
after completion of operation, 100. During all these operative manipulations there
was no struggling and but little increase in blood pressure or respiration rate. Arti-
ficial respiration was now adopted on account of the experiment to be performed.
12.00, pressure 105 mm.; some twitching movements and consequently 2 cc. more of
magnesium chloride solution were injected, twitchings ceased. 1.05, for the purposes
of the experiment a low blood pressure was wished and in consequence with a
long needle 10 cc. of the magnesium solution were injected. Pressure fell to 50 mm.
Hg. 2.45, pressure 55 mm. Hg.
Cat, female, weight 2750 grams. Trephined with awl and in all about 1.5 cc. of
‘ magnesium chloride was injected into the cerebrum. Connections made with
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AN1STHESIA BY INJECTION OF MAGNESIUM CHLORIDE 201

manometer, blood pressure 110 mm. Hg. The cat was kept warm and its pressure
taken every half hour as follows: hr. 113, 1 hr. 112, 1 hr. 122, 2 hrs. 108, 2hrs.
107, 3 hrs. 104. The cat had shown some twitching during the past hour so that
about 1.5 cc. more solution was injected. After five minutes the twitching had
completely ceased but the blood pressure fell to 80 mm. Hg.
Cat, male, weight 1820 grams. Trephined with awl and 2 to 2 cc. magnesium
chloride injected rather rapidly. Cessation of respiration and artificial respiration
undertaken. Connections with manometer, blood pressure 50 mm. Hg. at 10.
Evidently the vaso-motor center was depressed; an injection of ergot was given,
at 11:09 after a long period of rest the pressure was 70. Several other preparations
of ergot were given but the pressures taken in the intervals were as follows: 11:25,
70; 11:45, 65; 12:04, 72; 12:27, 62.
Meltzer and Auer: Journal of Experimental Medicine, viii, p. 692, 1906.
Meltzer and Lucas: Journal of Experimental Medicine, ix, p. 298, 1907.