The Chloroform Myth From The Movies

In most of the action movies we see, hero puts a solution called chloroform on the napkin or rag, and holds it on the face of any person or villain in its way. Which results the person to lose it consciousness and is defeated in few seconds. These kinds of scene, play in most of the movies and plays, but it's a bit different in real life.

The main difference is the time taken by the chloroform to cause its effect. In movies the character is unconscious in few seconds but in reality it takes upto four to five minutes for the human to feel its effect. This means that the character needs to hold the rag on face of its opponent for five minutes, while the opponent clearly aware of the danger tries to fight back, giving chance for opponent to breath fresh air, making the effect from chloroform a long process.

So if the effect and work of chloroform is not these dangerous how did this myth find its way in movies? Chloroform was invented in 1831, (by reacting chlorinated lime with ethanol) by individuals in New York, Germany. Since its invention, chloroform has been linked to many stories of death, murder and crimes. For example, H.H.Holmes American Serial Killer, used chloroform to kill 9 to 200 people in Chicago in 1893. Another incident is more recently in 2010 a lab technician Jared Shreeve 41 year old in london, used chloroform to knock down Sayeda Rahman a 17 year old girl.

The use of the chloroform was not always made in crime but accidents by doctors also made it look like a badass drug. Back in 1847, doctors used chloroform as an anaesthetic for medical process. Chloroform is colorless, sweet-smelling highly volatile liquid, making it difficult for doctors to manage the amount to use. It was applied on a sponge and placed on patient's mouth. Overdosage of which caused cardiac arrhythmia, liver impairment, nausea, central nervous system dysfunction, and death in some cases. A good example is of Dr. Thomas Neill Cream, he had set up his medical practice in Ontario, 1878. About a year later, his female patients body was find outside his office. Upon investigation it was established that the patient had gone to see Dr. Cream for an abortion, died from the over dosage of chloroform, applied through sponge by the doctor and was kept for a longer amount under nose. Dr. Cream claimed it to be suicide, and not enough evidence was provided against Dr.Cream. He fled to Chicago where later he was charged with murder of the station master wife, leads to imprisonment for 10 years. Upon his release he moved to london where he was charged with the murder of four prostitutes, fifth attempt to murder. The decision was made by judge in 10 minutes in court, and Dr.cream was hanged on November 15, 1892.

For the above reasons chloroform was voted to be banned to from U.S. medical community and is only used as industrial solvent in many plants, for example, it is used in making spearmint. It is an indirect food additive arising from polymers. It is also used in refrigerator freons, nowadays is replaced by HFC, which do not cause any effect on the ozone layer.

Time period taken by chloroform to cause effect, as shown in movie is not the only big difference in real life, but the actions of every single character to carry out this stunt, without straight-up killing the opponent, is something that doctors still couldn’t figure out.