A volatile, heat-stable anesthetic is not present in the skin of Bufo asper (Gravenhorst).

A study was made concerning the possible existance of a volatile, heat-stable anesthetic popularly believed by the Thai people to be in the skin of Bufo asper. The skin together with the paratoid glands of two toads were dried and pyrolyzed. Mice and rats inhaling a continuous stream of the smoke or injected with a high dose of the volatile material showed signs of extreme irritation with no loss of consciousness. It is concluded that the skin of this toad does not contain a volatile, heat-stable anesthetic.