Anaesthetics

Anaesthetics

Substances used to induce insensitivity to pain during medical procedures.

Nitrous oxide

Also known as laughing gas, identified as a possible anaesthetic by British chemist Humphry Davy in 1799.

Ether

Discovered by American doctor Crawford Long in 1842 for its anaesthetic qualities, later demonstrated publicly by American dental surgeon William Morton in 1846.

Chloroform

Discovered by James Simpson in 1847 as an alternative to ether, found to be easier to use and more effective.

General anaesthesia

Inducing complete unconsciousness during medical procedures, considered risky compared to local anaesthesia.

Local anaesthesia

Numbing of a specific part of the body for medical procedures, investigated by William Halsted using cocaine in 1884.

'Black Period' of surgery

Refers to the period between 1846 and 1870 characterized by increased death rates due to infections caused by longer and more complex operations with poor hygiene practices.