Posted by maddiver on November 26, 2001 at 23:44:58:
In Reply to: Re: Why isn't oxygen narcotic? posted by MHK on November 26, 2001 at 12:38:39:
I am still trying to figure out what was suggested (looks like both sides of the fence with a potential for a middle of the road inference). 1st on strict comparision levels you quote Bunsen solubility tables as having oxygen revealing higher narcotic effects than nitrogen. 2nd you state the M-O rule suggests as lipid solubility (ie metobolized oxygen?) increases that the anesthetic potency (narcotic effects) decrease so higher oxygen levels would be narcotic just at a lower level than similar levels of nitrogen? Or are you referring to non-metobolized portions of oxygen as you know that we metabolize very little O2 we uptake and hence the rationale behind Oxygen bends? Or can we take the fence sitting approach and say O2 is as Narcotic as N2 due to the partially metabolized effect in conjunction with higher narcotic principles. So I take the last line to means that there are two types of narcosis, that which you feel and that which you do not as the oxygen acting as a fuel agent has less of a feel even though it is a contributant to the narcotic state? Maybe I just have read it wrong....the brain lesions must be getting worse.