The Pain of Surgical Operations before Anesthesia

Covering a previously unexplored area in the history of surgery, this innovative resource provides a historical overview of how surgeons managed the pain of an operation. The definitive statement on this book’s central topic was written by Celsus in the first century AD, which emphasised accepting the unavoidability of pain during surgery and how patient distress should not tempt surgeons to rush procedures before completion. Inhaled narcotics were occasionally recommended but never became a standard treatment. There was a consensus from classical times, that ingested opium produced too many side effects to be used during an operation. In 1846 anesthesia was introduced, solving the problem.

Presenting these different eras in the history of surgery with a range of detailed examples, this book also offers inferential interpretations for how surgeons incorporated their understanding of pain into their surgical practice. Most surgeons demonstrated humanity, tempered by their beliefs and personalities, and managed pain through using specific techniques, instruments, and analgesic adjuncts.

Key Features:

• Provides an overview of an underexplored area of history, filling a gap in the history of medicine by focusing on pain during surgery before modern anaesthetics
• Offers inferential explanations for the ways in which surgeons managed pain prior to anaesthesia, including how they utilised specialised techniques and instruments, as well as how patients coped with pain when awake and unanaesthetised
• Builds a comprehensive understanding of the history of surgery prior to anaesthesia through historical examples and primary sources

With key topics, surgeons and surgical techniques covered, this book will be suited for medical students taking courses on the history of surgery, and will interest practitioners of various surgical specialties, anaesthetists, and medical historians.