Question

In a homologous series of any general anesthetic, increasing the chain length increases the lipid solubility, and produce a corresponding increase in anesthetic potency, is proposed by:

• A. John Pemberton
• B. Meyer - Overton
• C. Hubert Humphrey
• D. Meyer - Philip

Answer 1

The Correct Option is B

The correct option is (B): Meyer - Overton.

Answer 2

The question asks who proposed that increasing chain length, and so lipid solubility, in a homologous series of general anesthetics leads to greater anesthetic potency. Let's check each name.

1. John Pemberton: Pemberton is known as the pharmacist who created Coca-Cola in the 19th century. He has no connection to anesthetic theory.
2. Meyer - Overton: Hans Meyer and Charles Overton, working independently in the early 1900s, both found that the potency of a general anesthetic correlates closely with how well it dissolves in lipids. Within a series of related compounds, they observed that as chain length and lipid solubility increased, so did anesthetic potency, which became known as the Meyer-Overton theory, also called the lipid solubility theory of anesthesia.
3. Hubert Humphrey: Humphrey was an American political figure and vice president, entirely unconnected to pharmacology or anesthetic research.
4. Meyer - Philip: This is not a recognized pairing in the history of anesthetic theory. It combines a real surname with an unrelated name, making it a distractor rather than an actual proposed theory.

Only Meyer and Overton are credited with linking lipid solubility and chain length to anesthetic potency in a homologous series.

Therefore, the correct answer is Meyer - Overton.