Anesthesia - History and Origins: Laughing Gas

Laughing Gas

In the year 1772, after the discovery of nitrous oxide by Joseph Pristley, which was known as the 'LAUGHING GAS', nitrous oxide was used during medical shows and carnivals as a recreational agent. People would pay a price to inhale it for a minute, after which they would act silly and giggle and feel intoxicated and thus the gas earned its nickname: "laughing gas".

In England, as early as 1799, Humphry Davy discovered the analgesic properties of nitrous oxide. Almost 40 years later, in 1844, a dentist in USA, named Horace Wells demonstrated the pain relieving properties of nitrous oxide during a tooth extraction on a patient. Unfortunately for Wells, the patient cried out in pain and the people ridiculed him calling him a "Humbug". It was probably due to inadequate or improper administration of the gas by his assistant. Horace Wells left in disgrace, never to recover from the humiliation, and later committed suicide(2^✔).

References:

1. History of anaesthesia - (https://asa.org.au/history-of-anaesthesia/)
2. Nitrous oxide: are you having a laugh? - (https://edu.rsc.org/feature/nitrous-oxide-are-you-having-a-laugh/2020202.article)
3. John Snow, MD: anaesthetist to the Queen of England and pioneer epidemiologist - (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1325279/)
4. Types of Anesthesia - (https://www.uclahealth.org/medical-services/anesthesiology/types-anesthesia)
5. Curare - A Curative Poison: A Scientometric Analysis - (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4237325/)

Cite this Article ⇣⇡

Please use one of the following formats to cite this article in your essay, paper or report:

• APA

  Dr. Prachi Agrawal. (2023, July 14). Anesthesia - History and Origins: Laughing Gas. Medindia. Retrieved on Dec 20, 2024 from https://www.medindia.net/health/treatment/anaesthesia-laughing-gas.htm.

• MLA

  Dr. Prachi Agrawal. "Anesthesia - History and Origins: Laughing Gas". Medindia. Dec 20, 2024. <https://www.medindia.net/health/treatment/anaesthesia-laughing-gas.htm>.

• Chicago

  Dr. Prachi Agrawal. "Anesthesia - History and Origins: Laughing Gas". Medindia. https://www.medindia.net/health/treatment/anaesthesia-laughing-gas.htm. (accessed Dec 20, 2024).

• Harvard

  Dr. Prachi Agrawal. 2023. Anesthesia - History and Origins: Laughing Gas. Medindia, viewed Dec 20, 2024, https://www.medindia.net/health/treatment/anaesthesia-laughing-gas.htm.