General Anesthesia

Figure 1. Sample Inhalable General Anesthesia (Source)

Brief: General Anesthesia has often regarded as one of the most important discoveries of medical technology. While man in the past has used a variety of home made remedies to remove the feeling of pain, they have generally been only topical in nature and didnt last for very long. Even ingested anesthesia would not have a profound numbing effect that was desired. The earliest traces of the usage of anesthesia lead back to mixtures of opium and mandragora back in 1298. Previously, it was difficult for clinicians to treat invasive type wounds or diseases because surgery would often cause the patient to go into shock which could result in the worsening of the original condition or at worst,death. Eventually it was discovered that ethyl had a stronger numbing effect than plant based derivatives. Alcohol and its relatives quickly became standard for use within surgery to prevent pain.

Figure 2. Sample Modern Syringes of Anesthesia (Source)

In modern society, general anesthesia is used to remove the pain from any procedure that would cause an inconvenience to the patient. Sevoflurane is generally accepted as the inhalable anesthetic for clinical practice. Additionally, intravenous options such as sodium thiopental do not require a waiting period while inhalables get absorbed into the blood stream. 

Use: Depending on the intended medium of transportation, general anesthetic could be introduced to the body a number of ways. Inhalable anesthetics are carefully diluted with each patient's breath and carefully monitored so only the correct dosage is administered for the desired time of numbness. Then the clinician is capable of performing whatever operation they wish. Intravenous anesthesia is administered directly into the bloodstream via injection to the same effect.

Additional Information: General Timeline, General Information, Timeline 2