What did people do before anesthesia? - Sally Frampton

Translator: David Alvar Reviewer: Servizo de Normalización Lingüística

With medical students restraining the patient and onlookers eagerly awaiting,

Con estudantes de medicina suxeitando ao paciente e público agardando con ansia,

Scottish surgeon Robert Liston poised himself to begin.

o cirurxián escocés Robert Liston preparábase para empezar.

In quick succession, he cut his patient’s flesh,

Con movementos rápidos, cortou a carne do paciente,

sawed through their tibia and fibula and, within just a few minutes,

serroulle a tibia e o peroné e, en cuestión de minutos,

the amputation was complete.

completou a amputación.

It was the 1830s and Liston was renowned for his surgical speed.

Na década de 1830 Liston era coñecido pola súa rapidez cirúrxica.

This was important because, before anesthesia was widely used,

Isto era importante porque, antes de que se estendese o uso de anestesia,

patients had to consciously endure every moment of surgery.

os pacientes tiñan que soportar cada momento da cirurxía conscientes.

The quest for anesthetics that could induce unconsciousness

A busca de anestésicos que puidesen inducir inconsciencia

and enable more meticulous surgeries launched long before Liston.

e permitisen cirurxías máis meticulosas comezou moito antes de Liston.

Around 200 CE, Chinese physician Hua Tuo described mixing alcohol

Sobre o ano 200 da Era Común, o fisiólogo chinés Hua Tao describiu unha mestura

with a powder of various ingredients to anesthetize patients.

de alcol cun po de varios ingredientes para anestesiar pacientes.

And 13th century Arab surgeon Ibn al-Quff described patients taking anesthetics,

O cirurxián árabe do s. XIII Ibn al-Quff fala de pacientes que tomaban anestésicos,

likely inhaling drugs like cannabis, opium, and mandrake,

probablemente inhalando drogas como cánnabis, opio e mandrágora,

from saturated sponges.

de esponxas saturadas.

By the end of the 1700s, many scientists were pondering

A finais do s. XVIII, moitos científicos reflexionaban

chemistry’s medical applications.

sobre as aplicacións médicas da química.

This led to a profusion of anesthetic advancements involving three main players:

Isto levou a novos avances na anestesia, con tres protagonistas claros:

nitrous oxide, ether, and chloroform.

o óxido nitroso, o éter e o cloroformo.

In 1799, English chemist Humphry Davy began experimenting with nitrous oxide,

No 1799, o químico inglés Humphry Davy empezou a experimentar co óxido nitroso,

or laughing gas— inhaling it himself and observing its effects on friends.

tamén chamado gas da risa, inhalándoo el e observando o seu efecto en amigos.

Davy noted that its pain-relieving abilities might make it useful

Davy decatouse de que a súa capacidade de aliviar a dor podía ser útil

for surgical operations—

para operacións cirúrxicas,

but it would be decades before that happened.

pero pasarían décadas antes de que iso acontecese.

This was, at least in part, because some surgeons and patients

Isto debeuse, en parte, a que algúns cirurxiáns e pacientes

were skeptical of the effectiveness and safety of anesthetic drugs.

eran escépticos ante a eficacia e a seguridade dos anestésicos.

In 1804, Japanese surgeon Seishū Hanaoka successfully removed a breast tumor

No 1804, o xaponés Seishū Hanaoka conseguiu extirpar un tumor de mama

from a patient anesthetized with a mix of medicinal herbs.

dunha paciente anestesiada cunha mestura de herbas medicinais.

But the news stayed in Japan indefinitely.

Pero a noticia non saíu do Xapón.

Eventually, ether started garnering medical attention.

Co tempo, o éter empezou a atraer a atención dos médicos.

It was first formulated centuries before then came to be used recreationally.

Formulárase séculos antes de que se empezase a usar con fins recreativos.

During the so-called “ether frolics” of the early 1800s,

Durante as coñecidas como “festas do éter” a principios do s. XIX,

an American physician noted that the fall he suffered

un médico americano decatouse de que a caída que sufrira

while using ether was painless.

baixo os efectos do éter fora indolora.

In 1842, he etherized a patient and successfully removed

No 1842, tratou un paciente con éter e extirpoulle

a tumor from his neck.

un tumor do colo con éxito.

In the meantime, dentists finally began recognizing nitrous oxide’s promise.

Entre tanto, os dentistas por fin recoñeceran o potencial do óxido nitroso.

But, in 1845, when an American dentist attempted a public tooth extraction

Pero, no 1845, cando un dentista americano intentaba a extracción pública dun dente

on someone anesthetized with nitrous oxide,

dunha persoa anestesiada con óxido nitroso,

he apparently encountered a setback when his patient screamed.

aparentemente atopou un imprevisto cando o paciente lanzou un grito.

It was probably just an insufficient dose—

Probablemente se debese só a unha dose insuficiente,

but it was a bad publicity moment for the drug.

pero resultou en mala publicidade para o medicamento.

Meanwhile, dentists refined ether for tooth extractions.

Durante este tempo, os dentistas refinaron o éter para a extracción de dentes.

And, in October 1846, an American dentist administered ether to a patient,

En outubro de 1846, un dentista americano administroulle éter a un paciente

and a surgeon removed the man’s neck tumor.

e un cirurxián extirpoulle un tumor do colo.

Two months later, Liston himself performed an upper leg amputation

Dous meses despois, o propio Liston amputoulle a parte superior da perna

on an etherized patient,

a un paciente tratado con éter,

who reportedly regained consciousness minutes after

que aparentemente recuperou a consciencia minutos despois

and asked when the procedure would begin.

e preguntou cando comezaría o procedemento.

Further ether-enabled successes followed from India, Russia, and beyond.

Outros éxitos produto do uso do éter chegaron da India, Rusia e máis alá.

But ether had issues, including unpleasant side effects.

Pero o éter tiña problemas, incluíndo efectos secundarios desagradables.

Scottish obstetrician James Simpson heard about an alternative anesthetic

O tocólogo escocés James Simpson escoitara falar dun anestésico alternativo

called chloroform.

chamado cloroformo.

And, in 1847, he and two colleagues decided to try some themselves

No 1847, el e mais dous colegas decidiron probalo por si mesmos

and promptly passed out.

e desmaiáronse rapidamente.

Soon after, Simpson administered chloroform

Pouco despois, Simpson administroulle cloroformo

to one of his patients during childbirth.

a unha das súas pacientes durante o parto.

It quickly gained popularity because it was fast-acting

Gañou popularidade con velocidade porque actuaba rápido e porque

and thought to be side-effect-free—

se pensaba que non tiña efectos secundarios,

though we now know it’s harmful and probably carcinogenic.

aínda que hoxe sabemos que é daniño e probablemente canceríxeno.

Because anesthetics weren’t yet fully understood,

Debido a que a os anestésicos non se entendían de todo,

they sometimes had lethal consequences.

en ocasións tiñan consecuencias letais.

And some doctors held sexist and racist beliefs that dictated

E algúns doutores tiñan crenzas sexistas e racistas que determinaban

the amount of anesthesia they’d provide, if any at all.

a cantidade de anestesia que lle darían aos pacientes, se acaso lles daban.

American obstetrician Charles Meigs argued that the pain of childbirth

O tocólogo americano Charles Meigs sostiña que a dor durante o parto

was a form of divine suffering

era unha forma de sufrimento divino

and was skeptical that doctors should interfere with it.

e dubidaba se os doutores deberían interferir nel.

Throughout the 1840s, American physician James Marion Sims

Durante a década de 1840, o médico americano James Marion Sims

conducted experimental gynecological surgeries without pain relief,

levou a cabo cirurxías xinecolóxicas experimentais sen analxésicos,

primarily upon enslaved Black women.

principalmente en mulleres negras escravizadas.

By the late 19th century, those who could access anesthetics

A finais do s. XIX, aqueles que tiñan acceso aos anestésicos

were undergoing increasingly complex operations,

podían someterse a operacións cada vez máis complexas,

including some that were previously impossible.

incluíndo algunhas que, ata ese momento, eran imposibles.

Chloroform came to be understood as a riskier, more toxic option,

Empezouse a descubrir que o cloroformo era unha opción tóxica e perigosa

and fell out of favor by the early 1900s.

e a principios do s. XX caeu en desuso.

Alongside newer drugs, ether and nitrous oxide are still used today—

Xunto con novos medicamentos, o éter e o óxido nitroso seguen a usarse

but in modified formulations that are safer and produce fewer side effects,

en formulas modificadas, máis seguras e con menos efectos secundarios,

while doctors closely monitor the patient’s state.

mentres os doutores controlan o estado dos pacientes.

Thanks to these advances,

Grazas a estes avances,

speed is not always of the essence and, instead of acute agony,

a rapidez xa non é sempre esencial e, en lugar de ser unha agonía,

surgery can feel like just a dream.

as cirurxías poden parecer un simple soño.