> "that ether seems to block the entire cell membrane" For an ion channel there is a clear thing that can be blocked: the pore, but I don't think "blocking" a

> "that ether seems to block the entire cell membrane" For an ion channel there is a clear thing that can be blocked: the pore, but I don't think "blocking" a membrane in this context is meaningful. That's the crux of why we don't know how/why many anaesthetics work. We have some ideas, the obvious ones seem to be wrong, the less obvious ones are harder to test with the current level of technology.