Anaesthetics - GCSE History Definition

Anaesthetics refer to substances used to temporarily reduce pain during surgery. The introduction of anaesthetics, such as ether and chloroform, revolutionised surgery, enabling more challenging operations without patients feeling any pain. Although anaesthetics did improve surgery in the nineteenth century, there was some backlash as anaesthetics caused complications which resulted in death. However, the discovery of anaesthetics in surgery provides an excellent example of the broader historical themes of science, technology, chance and the role of the individual during the Industrial Revolution era. Which are pivotal topics within the GCSE History curriculum.