Smithsonian Magazine-the Weekender

"These 600-year-old Chinese surgical tools are coated in an early anesthetic."

Views expressed in this science and technology update are those of the reporters and correspondents.  Accessed on 07 June 2026, 1530 UTC.

Content and Source:  "Smithsonian Magazine-the Weekender." 

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Russ Roberts (https://hawaiisciencemonitor.blogspot.com).

Sunday, June 7, 2026

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These 600-Year-Old Chinese Surgical Instruments Are Coated in an Early Local Anesthetic—Carefully Extracted From a Poisonous Plant image

The instruments and close-ups of their residues (Antiquity)

 

These 600-Year-Old Chinese Surgical Instruments Are Coated in an Early Local Anesthetic—Carefully Extracted From a Poisonous Plant

Researchers say the numbing agent splashed onto iron scissors and tweezers during a procedure. They were found in a Ming dynasty doctor's tomb

Sonja Anderson

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