Earliest Evidence of Anaesthetic Use Found in Ming Dynasty Surgical Instruments

• •Traces of aconitine found on surgical instruments indicate early anaesthetic use.
• •The discovery is the earliest direct evidence of anaesthetics in ancient surgery.
• •Ming dynasty surgeons employed methods to detoxify aconitine for safe application.

Recent archaeological analysis has uncovered traces of aconitine, an anaesthetic compound, on surgical instruments from the tomb of Xia Quan, a 15th-century Chinese doctor. The instruments, scissors and tweezers, were found to contain residues concentrated on their blades and tips, indicating intentional use rather than contamination. This discovery provides the earliest chemical evidence of anaesthetic use in ancient surgery, suggesting that early practitioners had developed methods to mitigate the toxicity of aconitine. Historical texts indicate that various detoxification techniques were employed by Ming dynasty surgeons to safely use this potent substance. The findings challenge previous assumptions about the medical capabilities of ancient Chinese doctors and highlight their advanced understanding of pharmacology. The research was conducted by Congcang Zhao and colleagues using advanced laser analysis techniques.