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What did people do before anesthesia? - Sally Frampton

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TEDEd Animation

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The quest for anesthetics that could induce unconsciousness and enable more meticulous surgeries began around the early 3rd century CE. Before anesthesia was widely used, patients had to consciously endure every moment of surgery. So, what methods did doctors use before modern medicine caught up? Sally Frampton traces the history of anesthetic drugs.

What substances did 13th-century surgeon Ibn al-Quff use to create his anesthetic mixture?

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Meet The Creators

  • Educator Sally Frampton
  • Director Alexander Hellebaut
  • Narrator Alexandra Panzer
  • Storyboard Artist Alexander Hellebaut
  • Animator Alexander Hellebaut, Laurens de Mets, Vincent de Mets
  • Compositor Arthur Brouns
  • Violin by Kristofor Parvanov
  • Art Director Alexander Hellebaut
  • Sound Designer Gillis Van Der Wee
  • Music Arthur Brouns
  • Director of Production Gerta Xhelo
  • Produced by Anna Bechtol, Abdallah Ewis
  • Editorial Director Alex Rosenthal
  • Editorial Producer Cella Wright
  • Script Editor Molly Bryson
  • Fact-Checker Charles Wallace

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