Modern day surgery is synonymous with anaesthetic. Yet, it has only been that way since the mid-1800s. Prior to this, people either resided to their fate without surgery or faced the knife with little to nothing to numb any pain.
The story about the discovery of anaesthetic is both hopeful and tragic. Ether, the first widespread anaesthetic used, was a blessing to the world but a curse to those who discovered its use. However, it would revolutionise the care of patients and open the door to disciplines of surgery previously unimaginable.