The History of Relieving Pain

This guide is for medical assistant schools.

The only anti-inflammatory drug for over a half a century ago was Aspirin. Unfortunately, Aspirin causes many side effects when taken in large doses such as ulcers and bleeding in the intestines. Experts knew they had to discover another remedy to help pain sufferers. Eventually, a medicine alternative, called Paracetamol, was discovered but did nothing to take away pain. In 1948, Cortisone was discovered. It was considered a miracle drug, until side effects developed from the drug. In 1980, Ibuprofen went over the counter and has become the most well-known anti-inflammatory. Pain relief has come along way through the years.

Pain medication has consistently been accompanied by it's own set of problems, including drug abuse and considerable side effects have plagued the medical community and pain relief seekers. As with every medication, determining the proper dosage is critical and often requires more experimentation than is recommended by physicians. However, the field of pain management has evolved and is considerably more advanced than it has been throughout history. To better understand the leaps and bounds made by pain medication, consider below the history of pain relief and the options that were formerly popular to relive common aches and pains.

Pain Alleviation and Anesthesia in the 19th Century and Earlier

The earliest days of pain relief consisted of analgesic extracted from the bark and leaves of the mandrake plant in the 1st century. Before surgery, agents such as ethyl alcohol and opium were inhaled prior to surgery. In the period of the 9th -13th century, the soporific sponge was used to help pain. A combination liquid made of mandrake leaves, poppies, and herbs were boiled together and inserted in the sponge.

During the 16th century, laudanum was produced. Laudanum was produces from an opium derivative. It was used as an analgesic, but also was used for treating meningitis, cardiac diseases and different cases of tuberculosis. Also in the 16th century, Joseph Priestly discovered nitrous oxide in 1772 while experimenting with various gasses. The gas caused him to think clearer while feeling lightheaded. After he inhaled it, it made him laugh, this is where the name “laughing gas” came from. Oliver Wendell Homes recommended the term anesthesia for pain suppressants, from the Greek words meaning “without sensation”.

The Anesthesia Revolution of the 1800s

During the 1800s, it was assumed that people would experience a considerable amount of pain and find comfort in religion in order to relieve their suffering. Pain was referred to as God's punishment, even doctors felt that pain was a condition brought on by a person's behaviors and spiritual downfalls. However, a man named Humphrey Davy suggested that pain through operations might be dulled if patients inhale nitrous oxide. In 1846, Morton started practicing anesthesia use at Massachusetts General Hospital. James Young Simpson, a professor at Edinburgh, experimented with different compounds. He discovered chloroform to be productive and safe. He started using it for childbirth in 1853. By the 1880s, using anesthesia was considered an aseptic technique and started being practiced in America and Europe.

After anesthetics made its way into medical practices, the focus turned on using local anesthetics, which only numbs specific parts of the body and has fewer side effects. Cocaine was first brought to the table for local anesthetic use. After cocaine was introduced, other anesthetics such as Novocaine . Using local anesthetics brings the risk of toxicity to the heart and brain if they are not regulated. William Thomas Green Morton, a New England dentist authenticated anesthetic use early in the 1940s.

  • Anesthesiology – A PDF showing slides on the history of anesthesiology.

Pain and Anesthesia of the 1900s

In the 1900s, people frequently dealt with their pain by using mind over matter, they believed that if you didn't acknowledge pain, it would eventually leave the body. People told themselves they were in no pain continuously, many could not afford to acknowledge their pain in fear of being buried in medical bills, many did not seek treatment. For those that could afford to seek medical treatment, there were a number of new methods available to them. Soporifics or narcotics were used as early anesthetics. Opium, marijuana and jimsonweed are just a few examples of the early anesthetics.

Once barbiturates were utilized in the 1900s, intravenous anesthetics were quickly constituted. In the early 1900s, two surgeons, Harvey Cushing and George Crile were responsible for using anesthesia by keeping track of the patients blood pressure while getting surgery. The two doctors developed the idea to combine local anesthetics with local anesthesia. The 1900s brought forth anesthesia injections, sodium bicarbonate which is a chemical substance.

Pain Alleviation In Modern Days

The training of an Anesthesiologist goes further than the operating room. The Anesthesiologist is responsible for keeping the patient safe during surgery. There are several “Pain Management” programs through various hospitals that involve Anesthesiologists and Neurologist working together to control the patients pain both during and after surgery. There are also pumps that patients can use to self administer their pain medicines intravenously to effectively manage post-op pains. This allows the patient to get steady relief, with less of a groggy feeling.

Pain relief has come a long way over the course of the history. With the medical advancements we have today, there is a remedy for almost every kind of pain. There are specific medicines for arthritis pain, such as Celebrex and Naprosyn, and controlled substances for severe pain such as Vicodin and Percocet. It is very important to monitor the controlled medications due to abuse. According to the DEA, close to 7 million Americans abuse prescriptions drugs.