World Anaesthesia Day, which is celebrated in many countries annually on October 16, is traditionally considered a professional holiday by anesthesiologists-resuscitators and all specialists in this field of medicine.
Anesthesia — loss of nerve sensitivity. Artificial anesthesia is used for pain relief during surgical operations, dental treatment, injuries, etc., as well as in other areas of medicine.
The history of this field of medicine began in the mid-19th century — On October 16, 1846, American dentist Thomas Morton performed an operation under ether anesthesia. Thus, for the first time, the successful use of anesthesia to create general anesthesia was publicly demonstrated. He used diethyl ether inhalation as an anesthetic. Therefore, October 16 is considered to be World Anesthesia Day.
Although, of course, painkillers have existed in the world since ancient times. For example, many Native American tribes used the juice of various plants to desensitize. Also known is the ancient Greek physician and philosopher Dioscorides, who, traveling with the Roman army during the time of Emperor Nero and practicing medicine, noticed that the use of sedatives prepared from mandrake allows for more successful operations, which also increased the chances of recovery among wounded soldiers. By the way, it was he who was the first to use the term — «anesthesia», known today.
Today, anesthesiology inherently accompanies not only surgery, but also psychiatry, narcology, and other areas of medicine (Photo: Dejan Dundjerski, licensed by Shutterstock.com)
Along with the development of society, knowledge in the field of medicine, including anesthesiology, improved, which ultimately led to its separation into a separate branch of medicine, which now inherently accompanies not only surgery, but also psychiatry, narcology, and other areas of medicine.
It should be noted that psychiatry (and later narcology) already in the 19th century were in the closest contact with the anesthetic discipline. For example, in the USSR long-term anesthesia was used in the treatment of schizophrenia, as well as electroanesthesia.
In addition, in modern medicine there is a distinction between general, local and spinal anesthesia. The drugs and methodology for anesthesia are constantly being improved, as are the knowledge and skills of specialists in this field of medicine, who today deservedly receive congratulations from management, colleagues and friends on their professional holiday.