The effect of chloroform and trichloroethane on the respiration and circulation

氯仿和三氯乙烷不仅偶尔用于虐待、自杀和杀人，而且也用于使受害者丧失强奸或抢劫的能力。为了研究犬在吸入氯仿或三氯乙烷时的呼吸和循环过程，让犬呼吸高浓度氯仿或三氯乙烷蒸气。吸入氯仿后，呼吸运动在1.0 ~ 1.5 min停止。吸入氯仿后10秒血压开始下降，呼吸停止后出现循环衰竭。少数动物在血压下降初期出现几次短暂性心律失常。部分犬在吸入高浓度氯仿蒸汽40 ~ 50秒后恢复，在停止吸入氯仿后10 ~ 15分钟内未见对刺激的反应。吸入三氯乙烷时，呼吸和循环过程与吸入氯仿时相似，但吸入三氯乙烷引起呼吸和循环衰竭的时间略长于吸入氯仿时。这些结果表明，吸入高浓度氯仿或三氯乙烷的死亡原因是对呼吸中枢和心脏的直接抑制作用，并且用饱和布在受害者脸上吸入高浓度氯仿或三氯乙烷蒸气40-50秒可能会使受害者丧失至少10-15分钟的能力。

Chloroform and trichloroethane has been occasionally used for not only abuse, suicide and homicide but also for incapacitation of a victim for rape or robbery. To investigate the course of respiration and circulation during chloroform or trichloroethane inhalation, dogs were allowed to breathe highly concentrated chloroform or trichloroethane vapor. In chloroform inhalation, the respiratory movements ceased in 1.0-1.5 min. The BP began to reduce in 10 sec after the chloroform inhalation and the circulatory breakdown occurred with the cessation of respiratory movement. A few animals showed several transient arrhythmia in the beginning of decrease of BP.Some dogs were allowed to breathe concentrated chloroform vapor for 40-50 sec.They recovered, and their reactions to stimuli could not be seen for 10-15 min after the cessation of chloroform inhalation. In trichloroethane inhalation, the course of respiration and circulation was similar to that in chloroform, though in trichloroethane inhalation, it took a little longer time to cause respiratory and circulatory breakdown than in chloroform. These results suggested that the cause of death from inhalation of highly concentrated chloroform or trichloroethane is the direct depression action both on the respiratory center and the heart and that the inhalation of highly concentrated chloroform or trichloroethane vapor with a saturated cloth over the victim's face for 40-50 sec can probably incapacitate a victim for at least 10-15 min.