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August Bier (1861–1949), pioneer of spinal anesthesia. In 1855, Friedrich Gaedcke (1828–1890) became the first to chemically isolate cocaine, the most potent alkaloid of the coca plant. Gaedcke named the compound "erythroxyline". [4] [5]
Leaves of the coca plant (Erythroxylum novogranatense var. Novogranatense), from which cocaine, a naturally occurring local anesthetic, is derived. [1] [2]An anesthetic (American English) or anaesthetic (British English; see spelling differences) is a drug used to induce anesthesia — in other words, to result in a temporary loss of sensation or awareness.
The coca plant resembles a blackthorn bush, and grows to a height of 2 to 3 m (7 to 10 ft). The branches are curved, and the leaves are thin, opaque, oval, and taper at the extremities.
Coca leaves have been used by Andean civilizations since ancient times. [30] In ancient Wari culture, [33] Inca culture, and through modern successor indigenous cultures of the Andes mountains, coca leaves are chewed, taken orally in the form of a tea, or alternatively, prepared in a sachet wrapped around alkaline burnt ashes, and held in the mouth against the inner cheek; it has traditionally ...
[39] [40] Some Sumerian tablets of this era have an ideogram inscribed upon them, "hul gil", which translates to "plant of joy", believed by some authors to refer to opium. [41] [42] The term gil is still used for opium in certain parts of the world. [43] The Sumerian goddess Nidaba is often depicted with poppies growing out of her shoulders ...
Anesthesia is a combination of the endpoints (discussed above) that are reached by drugs acting on different but overlapping sites in the central nervous system. General anesthesia (as opposed to sedation or regional anesthesia) has three main goals: lack of movement , unconsciousness, and blunting of the stress response. In the early days of ...
Anesthesia – pharmacologically induced and reversible state of amnesia, analgesia, loss of responsiveness, loss of skeletal muscle reflexes or decreased sympathetic nervous system, or all simultaneously. This allows patients to undergo surgery and other procedures without the distress and pain they would otherwise experience.
Erythroxylaceae (the coca family) is a family of flowering trees and shrubs consisting of 4 genera and 271 species, native to Africa and South America. [ 2 ] [ 3 ] [ 4 ] The four genera are Aneulophus Benth. , Erythroxylum P.Browne , Nectaropetalum Engl. , and Pinacopodium Exell & Mendonça .