HEALTHSCMP CHINA
Discovery of ancient Chinese anaesthesia reveals advanced early surgical practices
In the 14th century, Ming dynasty surgeons used a toxic plant concoction as an anaesthetic, developed by Xia Quan. This discovery provides physical evidence supporting ancient texts about early surgical practices in China.
Mentioned
Related Signal
Adjacent reporting
- Why a fabled Chinese surgeon’s tomb may help rewrite history of anaesthetic use
- Earliest use of anaesthetics uncovered in Chinese doctor’s tomb
- Surgeons in imperial China used anaesthetics — in careful doses
- Neanderthals drilled cavities to treat a toothache 59,000 years ago
- Neanderthals went to the dentist (really)
- Recent analysis shows Neanderthals may have been first dentists in recorded history