Every time I visit a dental clinic, I say a little prayer of gratitude for Dr Karl Koller, the man who discovered local anaesthesia.
Koller, an Austrian ophthalmologist and a colleague of Sigmund Freud, experimented with cocaine as a local anaesthetic for eye surgeries. He had earlier tried using morphine, bromide and chloral hydrate for local anaesthesia in laboratory animals, but failed.
His experiment with cocaine was conducted on a frog. One of its eyes was treated with cocaine solution. The cocaine solution started to work a minute after it was administered. The frog did not show any signs of discomfort when Koller touched the cornea of its eye treated with the cocaine solution. But when he tried to touch the other eye, it got agitated.
Koller repeated the tests on a rabbit and a dog, too, and the results seemed promising. He found that cocaine had pain-killing as well as tissue-numbing properties. Thereafter, cocaine was used as a local anaesthetic in different types of surgery. Cocaine, however, is no longer used as an anaesthetic, as it can damage the cornea and can be addictive. Today, there are a variety of anaesthetics that are being used in surgeries and procedures, which can be administered through inhaled gas, injected via shots or intravenously, applied topically in liquid form or as a patch or through a spray. And, in the right hands, they put patients at ease, numbing their pain, and let surgeons and specialists work in peace.
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة October 03, 2021 من THE WEEK.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 8500 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك ? تسجيل الدخول
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة October 03, 2021 من THE WEEK.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 8500 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك? تسجيل الدخول
Ram temple not an issue in south
Much has been said this election season about the alleged north-south divide.
Haute and sweaty
In Mumbai, where I live and work, there is a severe heatwave going on. The highest temperature this month has been 40 degrees, sweltering and humid for the coastal city.
MOVE AWAY MARY!
In many parts of the world,unique names are becoming popular
CALL OF THE WILD
Tejas Thackeray, the younger son of former Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray, shares his passion for wildlife conservation and photography
CEPA and beyond
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Brash and raw
When I chanced upon Raj Narain, who humbled Indira Gandhi
Lone voice of dissent
“I am keen to invite Parakala [Prabhakar] to Mumbai… What do you think? Do you know him?” A friend asked. No, I don’t know the man. And no, it is not a good idea to invite him, unless you want to invite trouble, I replied.
Modi and the Muslim syndrome
I have long been intrigued by the prime minister’s desire to hug every passing sheikh and sultan and his contrasting contempt for the ordinary Indian Muslim.
Assam Rifles not trained to guard borders; need separate force for Manipur border
Imphal is blanketed in darkness. The sun has set a little too soon in the valley, but N. Biren Singh is yet to call it a day.
SPOTLIGHT ON THE SENTINELS
Manipur government wants the Assam Rifles replaced, but the Union home ministry is focused on upgrading infrastructure and connectivity before deciding who guards the state