Anesthesia - History and Origins: Local and Spinal Anesthesia

Types of Anesthesia

With the development of better anesthesia delivery systems and techniques in the next 40 years, better inhalational drugs were introduced.

Further, the introduction of cocaine in 1877, which was obtained from the leaves of the coca plant was a major breakthrough for administering local anesthesia. This was followed by nerve blocks, spinal and epidural anesthesia

using lignocaine in 1900's which completely changed anesthesia, making it more acceptable and safer(4^✔).

• General anesthesia: Also known for making the patient completely unaware and unconscious is given either through the mask or the breathing tube (Inhalational anesthesia). Some drugs are also given through the vein (intravenous) to relieve the pain and relax the body muscles.
• Regional anesthesia: This includes nerve blocks, spinal and epidural anesthesia, where the anaesthetic drug is injected near the nerve of the limb to be anaesthetized or near the spinal nerves in the epidural space or spinal space to completely anaesthetize the area where the surgery is to be peformed. Discovered by August Bier in 1898, this type is mainly used during Cesarean sections or childbirth surgeries.
• Local anesthesia: This is used for making a small area of the skin numb for the minor procedure. It is given by injecting the local anaesthetic drug locally in that area. Some topical preparations are also available these days which can be applied to the surface of the skin to make it free of pain.

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/)

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