It  is  usually  considered  that  women  yield  rapidly
to  the  influence  of  anaesthetics  generally;  pregnant
women  take  them  well ;  and  although  they  yield  so
rapidly,  there  is  no  reason  to  suppose  that  women  are
more  exposed  to  danger  from  anaesthesia;  it  seems
more  probable  that  they  are  less  exposed.  Children
also  fall'f  apidly  and  deeply  under  chloroform  and  other
anaesthetics;  but  they  bear  them  w^ell  and  recover
with  equal  facility.^  A  committee  appointed  by  the
Odontological  Association  found  the  following  aver-
age times  for  nitrous  oxide  anaesthesia : —


Time  going  off.
Duration.
Time  from  com-
mencement to
recovery.
Males

I  min.  21  sees.
24  sees.
I  min.  55  sees.
Females

I     ,.      16    „

28      „

2     „

Children  (under  15)

I     „       3    „

22       „

I     „     40     „

The  exact  duration  of  anaesthesia  is  not,  however,
easy  of  very  exact  determination.
^  D.  W.  Buxton,  AncEsthelics,  London,  1892  ;  Maurice  Perrin,  Art.
"  Anesth^sie,"  VicL  ency.  des  Sci.  Mid.
HYPNOTIC    PHENOMENA.  3x3

We  have  seen  that  the  effect  of  ah  anaesthetic
such  as  nitrous  oxide  is  practically  to  hill  the
higher  nervous  centres  and  to  give  the  lower
nervous  centres  the  opportunity  of  indulging  in  an
orgy.  Is  it  the  nervous  system  of  men  or  of
women  that  most  readily  takes  advantage  of  this
opportunity  ?

It  has  frequently  been  noted,  as  a  general  observa-
tion, that  various  phenomena  which  may  occur
during  ansesthesia  are  more  common  in  women.
