&NA;THE VARIOUS FORMS of general anesthetics used for the abolition of operative pain have a twofold injurious effect on the patient: Injury to the vital functions or injury to the psychic element. The former naturally threatens the life of the organism in a greater measure than the latter, and, therefore, all attention is directed by the physician and anesthetist toward the objective injuries of the vital functions and that anesthetic is chosen which seems to be the least harmful in this respect.