The era of modern anesthesia began in 1847, until which, all surgery were performed on people who were held down by strong men and surgeons boasting of their speed. Anesthesia means absence of physical sensation in part or all of the body. It is to a reversible condition that is induced using anesthetic drugs. These drugs may be injected, inhaled, or applied directly to the surface of the body.

The most important developments were made by two dentists Horace wells and William Morton, who first experimented with nitrous oxide and diethyl ether, respectively. One story about Morton says that he accidentally anesthized himself with diethyl ether while breathing it as an antidote for the chlorine gas he inhaled while giving a demonstration of the chlorine gas in a Chemistry class. After his discovery of diethyl ether as an anesthetic Morton asked for a presentation at the Massachusetts general hospital of the Harvard medical school. He was granted permission to give a presentation of ether on October 16, 1846 on a tumor patient. Morton successfully administered the anesthetic on the fear ridden patient in a hall full of audiences. Dr. JC Warren, who performed the surgery, turned to the audience and said “gentlemen, there is no humbug.” This operating room at the Massachusetts general hospital, now called the “ether dome”, has been declared a historical site.

Over the years many different chemicals have been used as an anesthetic, like chloroform and nitrous oxide, but nowadays ether is largely used as the main anesthesia drug. Many researches have been conducted, but, the general mechanisms of anesthesia still remain unknown. Many researchers believe that anesthetics produce their effects by interacting with the protein contents of the brain, but what exact proteins, that still remains a mystery.

Currently one of the most extensive researches’ is being carried out at the Massachusetts general hospital. Molecular biologists are working with animals like fishes from the skate family, which are discarded by fishermen, but have proved to be very useful in the laboratory because of the pure protein that can be isolated from their brains in large quantities for research.

Now let us ponder upon the obvious question that how does an anesthetist work? Well, here is the answer. It is generally and largely believed that an anesthetic  helps in eliminating the pain by depressing the activity of the chemicals which pass signals from one pain nerve cell to another, thereby eliminating the pain signals between the cells and hence the pain. This Communication is prevented by the fact that, the anesthetic dissolves itself with fatty materials that make up a large portion of the membrane which surrounds the nerve cell. After dissolving themselves, the anesthetic molecules are believed to expand the membrane thus inactivating the proteins which receives the chemical signals from neighboring nerve cell membranes.

Anesthesia has proved to be a boon for medicine sector and is used in almost every major or minor surgery, be it a small tooth extraction surgery or a large by pass heart surgery. Sometimes using anesthesia has also been harmfull, but constant research is being carried out to improve the tools and techniques of anesthesia.