Stamped into Sleep: The Story of Anesthesia

Abstract

Pain is nature’s early warning system, alerting us to harm and healing. Without pain, injury would go unnoticed and damage unchecked. The earliest echoes of pain relief are found in Ramayana, written by sage-poet Valmiki in 3 BC. Therein lies a timeless injunction: “Let the wounded be swiftly lifted from the battlefield, carried to shelter, their bleeding staunched and upon their wounds, let soothing oil be poured, enriched with the essence of healing herbs.”