Researchers Find 600-Year-Old Wolfsbane Anesthetic on Ming Surgical Tools
Updated
Updated · Livescience.com · May 25
Researchers Find 600-Year-Old Wolfsbane Anesthetic on Ming Surgical Tools
4 articles · Updated · Livescience.com · May 25
A 600-year-old pair of iron scissors and tweezers from a Ming Dynasty tomb in Jiangyin yielded what researchers say is the first direct chemical evidence of a topical anesthetic on ancient surgical tools.
Micro-Raman spectroscopy detected a cyano functional group and oily organic residues, pointing to aconitine from Chinese wolfsbane, a highly toxic plant long used in Asian medicine for pain relief.
The study says Ming practitioners likely detoxified the aconite with acidic substances including vinegar, mung beans or urine, then applied it topically before minor procedures using the tweezers and scissors.
Residue was concentrated on the tools' working ends, supporting the idea that liquid anesthetic splashed onto them during surgery and later corroded the iron.
Published in Antiquity, the findings back Ming medical texts describing controlled use of aconite and suggest surgeons could balance potency and safety in topical anesthesia six centuries ago.
How did ancient surgeons turn a lethal poison into a safe anesthetic without modern science?
What other medical secrets are hiding in plain sight on dusty museum artifacts?
First Direct Chemical Evidence of Anesthetic Use: Aconitine Residues Found on 600-Year-Old Ming Dynasty Surgical Tools Redefine Global History of Surgery
Overview
Researchers have made a groundbreaking discovery by identifying aconitine residues on 600-year-old surgical tools from the Ming Dynasty in China. Using advanced non-destructive microscopic techniques, they confirmed that ancient Chinese physicians actively used anesthetics during surgeries as early as the 14th century. This finding highlights the highly developed medical knowledge and surgical skills of Ming doctors, who understood both pharmacology and surgical practice. The use of aconitine, a potent alkaloid from Chinese wolfsbane, allowed for complex operations with reduced patient suffering, revealing a remarkable level of sophistication in ancient Chinese medicine.