Anesthetic compounds of this invention are lactams and thiolactams which can be described by the general formula: where n is 0 or 1; Z is an oxygen or a sulfur atom; and R1, R2 and R3 are independently selected from the group consisting of H, an optionally substituted alkyl or alkenyl group, and an optionally substituted phenylmethyl group; with the exceptions that: R1, R2 cannot both be H; and wh