Spinal anaesthesia in the rabbit

Spinal anaesthesiat untD now used In the guineapigt was adapted to the rabbit for examining rabbit foetuses during labour. This form of anaesthesia is easYtquick and safet and it makes it possible to examine the physiology of rabbit foetuses without their being affected by anaesthesia. Rabbit foetuses are in many respects the experimental animals of choice for studying the first breath and lung maturity of foetuses (Pulkkinen & Kero, 1977; Thomasson & Ravitch, 1969). It is, however, difficult to anaesthetize the mother safely and especially without affecting the foetuses (Becker, Flannagan & King, 1958; Thomasson & Ravitch, 1969). An-aesthesia for prolonged operations in the rabbit is difficult, mainly because of the narrow margi