Abstract
Chemical changes in the blood of the rat during ether and barbiturate anesthesia were studied. The barbiturates depressed the levels of Hb, total protein, and glucose. The speed and magnitude of the changes varied with the drug employed (amytal, pentobarbital and hexobarbital), which imposed a limitation upon their value for blood sampling. Ether elevated the blood sugar, but this effect was only about 10 mg.% during the first several minutes of anesthesia. Ether did not change the Hb, total protein, albumin : globulin ratio, non protein N, chloride or cholesterol.
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