A Molecular Theory of General Anesthesia

Abstract

During the last twenty years much
\nprogress has been made in the determination
\nof the molecular structure of
\nliving organisms and the understanding
\nof biological phenomena in terms of
\nthe structure of molecules and their
\ninteraction with one another. The progress
\nthat has been made. in the field of
\nmolecular biology during this period
\nhas related in the main to somatic and
\ngenetic aspects of physiology, rather
\nthan to psychic. We may now have
\nreached the time when a successful
\nmolecular attack on psychobiology, including
\nthe nature of encephalonic
\nmechanisms, consciousness, memory,
\nnarcosis, sedation, and similar phenomena,
\ncan be initiated. As one of the
\nsteps in this attack I have formulated
\na rather detailed theory of general
\nanesthesia, which is described in the
\nfollowing paragraphs (1).