Special article: mandragora: anesthetic of the ancients

Anesthesia and Analgesia
Elie J ChidiacSamir F Fuleihan

Abstract

Initial attempts at surgical anesthesia began many centuries ago, with the plants of antiquity. The mandragora, or mandrake, was used as a sedative and to induce pain relief for surgical procedures. It has been depicted in tablets and friezes since the 16th century before the common era (BCE) and used for its sedative effects by Hannibal (second century BCE) against his enemies. The Romans used the mandrake for surgery. The Arabs translated the scientific work of the Ancients and expanded on their knowledge. They developed the Spongia Somnifera, which contained the juice of the mandrake plant. After the fall of the Islamic cities of Europe to the Christians, scientific work was translated into Latin and the Spongia Somnifera was used in Europe until the discovery of the use of ether for surgical anesthesia.

References

Oct 1, 1992·Anesthesiology·N A Bergman
Dec 23, 1995·BMJ : British Medical Journal·D Roffe, C Roffe
Dec 21, 1996·BMJ : British Medical Journal·A J Carter
Oct 20, 1998·Journal of Toxicology. Clinical Toxicology·J L Müller
May 4, 2000·The American Journal of Chinese Medicine·E AzizJ McKeever
Jan 31, 2006·American Journal of Surgery·Rabie E Abdel-Halim

❮ Previous
Next ❯

Citations

Jul 22, 2015·Pain Management·Philip M Finch, Peter D Drummond
Sep 9, 2015·Case Reports in Immunology·Sevim BaysakCan Ergin
Jul 15, 2015·BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine·Carsten GründemannRoman Huber
Feb 6, 2017·Journal of Anesthesia History·Kentaro DoteHiroshi Makino
Aug 19, 2017·Molecules : a Journal of Synthetic Chemistry and Natural Product Chemistry·Hironori Tsuchiya
Jul 22, 2018·Frontiers in Pharmacology·Marco Leonti, Laura Casu
May 28, 2019·Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine·Krzysztof SpałekJarosław Proćków

❮ Previous
Next ❯

Related Concepts

Trending Feeds

COVID-19

Coronaviruses encompass a large family of viruses that cause the common cold as well as more serious diseases, such as the ongoing outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19; formally known as 2019-nCoV). Coronaviruses can spread from animals to humans; symptoms include fever, cough, shortness of breath, and breathing difficulties; in more severe cases, infection can lead to death. This feed covers recent research on COVID-19.

Blastomycosis

Blastomycosis fungal infections spread through inhaling Blastomyces dermatitidis spores. Discover the latest research on blastomycosis fungal infections here.

Nuclear Pore Complex in ALS/FTD

Alterations in nucleocytoplasmic transport, controlled by the nuclear pore complex, may be involved in the pathomechanism underlying multiple neurodegenerative diseases including Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and Frontotemporal Dementia. Here is the latest research on the nuclear pore complex in ALS and FTD.

Applications of Molecular Barcoding

The concept of molecular barcoding is that each original DNA or RNA molecule is attached to a unique sequence barcode. Sequence reads having different barcodes represent different original molecules, while sequence reads having the same barcode are results of PCR duplication from one original molecule. Discover the latest research on molecular barcoding here.

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Chronic fatigue syndrome is a disease characterized by unexplained disabling fatigue; the pathology of which is incompletely understood. Discover the latest research on chronic fatigue syndrome here.

Evolution of Pluripotency

Pluripotency refers to the ability of a cell to develop into three primary germ cell layers of the embryo. This feed focuses on the mechanisms that underlie the evolution of pluripotency. Here is the latest research.

Position Effect Variegation

Position Effect Variagation occurs when a gene is inactivated due to its positioning near heterochromatic regions within a chromosome. Discover the latest research on Position Effect Variagation here.

STING Receptor Agonists

Stimulator of IFN genes (STING) are a group of transmembrane proteins that are involved in the induction of type I interferon that is important in the innate immune response. The stimulation of STING has been an active area of research in the treatment of cancer and infectious diseases. Here is the latest research on STING receptor agonists.

Microbicide

Microbicides are products that can be applied to vaginal or rectal mucosal surfaces with the goal of preventing, or at least significantly reducing, the transmission of sexually transmitted infections. Here is the latest research on microbicides.