Comment: The data from this initial study of eltanolone for use of induction and maintenance of general anesthesia do not appear promising for this drug to become introduced into clinical medicine. First, this natural occurring metabolite of progesterone is insoluble in water requiring a special solvent. When used for short (6.0 min median; range 2–38 min), minor gynecological procedures it did not satisfactorily provide adequate analgesia to allow spontaneous mask respiration with 70% nitrous oxide in 8 of 50 women. Recovery was markedly prolonged as compared with that seen with propofol or even thiopental (see Table) making it unsuitable for outpatient surgery and causing potentially longer stays in the postanesthetic care unit. Its only virtues were a pleasant induction (available with thiopental) and a relatively stable cardiovascular system with no significant change in blood pressure and only a mild increase in heart rate. Respiratory data were not obtained. It seems to this clinician that the pulses offer very little to offset the disadvantages of the drug.