PHARMACOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS are unfolding so rapidly in the realm of anaesthesia that almost every week a new drug is made available for study and trial. With the increasing use of the cautery and the concerted effort to avoid explosions, a marked need has arisen for a safe, potent, non-inflammable inhalation anaesthetic drug. Robbms (1) in 1946 investigated a number of non-explosive fluorinated hydrocarbons an the laboratory and conc]uded that stx might be of clinieal value No further work was done until 19N3; when Krantz et al. (9.) reported on the safety of a fluorinated ethyl vinyl ethei. Unfortunately, this compound was explosive In anaesthelac concentrations (8). Meanwhile, Suckling in England, while screening non-explosive fluoride compounds, synthesized 2 bromo-2 ehloro-l,l,1, trittuoroethane (CF3CHC1Br). This compound, c,alled Fluothane, was investigated pharmacologically by Raventos (4), who found it to be a potent and safe anaesthelae drug m several speems of ammals. Within the last year several clinical reports attesting to the value of this drughave been published (5, 6, 7, 8). Fluothane is a clear, colourless llqmd with a sweet, pleasant odour resembling triehlorethylene or chloroform (Table I). The boiling point (50.2~ renders TABLE I PHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF FLUOTItANE Appearance Colourless, clear Odour Sweet, pleasant Molecular welght 197 39 Bmhng point 50 2 ~ C Specific gravity 1 862 at 22 ~ C Off/water solubdlty 330 Vapour pressure 243 mm at 20 ~ C

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