How Anaesthesia made surgery easy — A look at its side-effects and risks

World Anaesthesia Day 2023 — Image Source : TWITTER World Anaesthesia Day is celebrated every year on 16 October

World Anaesthesia Day is celebrated every year on 16 October. On this day, an attempt is made to spread awareness about the important role anaesthesia plays in health services. This day is also celebrated in the honor of anaesthetists. They play a very important role in making surgery easier. Anaesthesia was used for the first time on this day 1846. Before the invention of anaesthesia, surgery was very painful for both the doctor and the patient. Learn how surgery was done before the discovery of anesthesia.

Anaesthesia was first used successfully on this day in 1846. On this day, how ether can be used as anesthesia was successfully demonstrated. Therefore in many countries, it is also called Ether Day. This day is celebrated to remember this great achievement in the medical line. This year’s theme is “Anaesthesia and Cancer Care”. Through this theme, an attempt has been made to explain the important role of anaesthesia in the treatment of cancer. This theme has also been chosen to promote the safe use of anaesthesia in the treatment of cancer in the future.

How was surgery done before anaesthesia?

Before anaesthesia was discovered, surgery was avoided as much as possible because without anaesthesia the patient had to go through unbearable pain during surgery. Doctors had to perform surgery amidst the screams of the patient, which also caused emotional distress. Later surgeons used to apply juice from opium and mandrake to the patient's body. This reduced the pain a little, but it was not very helpful. Apart from this, a juice called Dwell was also used, after drinking which the patient would fall asleep, and then the surgery would be performed.

Around 1600, a liquid was made by mixing opium and alcohol, which provided relief from pain. The effect of these liquids was only for a short period, due to which doctors had to end the surgery very quickly. And then for the first time in 1846, ether was used as anesthesia. After this, in 1848, chloroform was used to reduce pain during surgery. In this way, after many experiments, modern anaesthesia was discovered, which has made surgery so easy that patients do not even feel pain during the operations.