This volume is an English translation of Overton's monograph on structure-activity relationships regarding anaesthetic action and toxicity. This book has been cited widely by scientists studying the correlation of biological activity with partition coefficients and the mechanism of anaesthesia. Although the original monograph was published in 1901, it should still be of value to modern toxicologists, particularly those involved in the development of quantitative structure-toxicity relationships and the predictive limitations of such models. Introductory chapters by Lipnick, Miller and Winter...

Charles Ernest Overton's 1901 monograph Studien aber die Narkose has become a scientific classic in a number of different fields. This book represents the first English translation, and in fact the first translation into any other language, of the original German work. In addition to* the edited translation, this volume contains introductory chapters by Keith Miller, Peter Winter and Leonard Firestone and myself. As editor, I have attempted above all else to ensure that the translation faithfully represents Overton's ideas and data, while making the material readily understandable to the...