Hernias and Anaesthetics

The History of Pain Relief
- In the 1840s, the medical profession learned that ether could be used as an anaesthetic. Ether provided a profound pain relief for the first time. Unfortunately, it's highly inflammable; dangerous, considering most doctors operated with candlelight in those days!

- 'Laughing gas' (nitrous oxide) was introduced in 1799, but wasn't strong enough.

- A Scottish doctor, James Simpson, searched for a stronger pain relief, and discovered chloroform, a very potent pain relief which wasn't inflammable.

- The search continued: the next discovery included a poison used by South American Indians on the tips of their arrows: a muscle relaxant. Followed by the discovery of ketamine.

- Anaesthesia is, in fact, a cocktail of up to 100 drugs: to get us to sleep, to relieve pain, and to block reflexes.

P3: About Anaesthesia