Comic Strips

Lots of chloroform questions here.

Hopefully this will answer some:

How Long Does It Take For Chloroform To Work?

In 1865, The Lancet, the medical journal, called upon any person, criminal or not, to prove that waving a chloroform drenched handkerchief was enough to knock someone out. No one has to date come forward with an answer.

While the right dose of chloroform soaked in a rag can definitely render you unconscious (the Lancet articles cites 5 minutes and persistance should knock someone out, but no experimental evidence was provided), it would take much longer than what they show in movies: you wouldn’t drop unconscious just by taking a whiff.

What Does Chloroform Smell Like?

Chloroform is a sweet-smelling liquid, similar to ether, along with a slightly sweet taste. Some people compare the smell to the smell of disinfectants, similar to the smell that is perceived in hospitals and medical facilities. We interviewed a number of chemists working in chemical laboratories who explained that the chloroform smell vaguely resembles the smell of acetone, an organic compound.

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