History of Painkillers: Surviving Aches with Alcohol and Botany Before Aspirin

Have you ever wondered how people used to numb their pain before modern medicines? They often resorted to natural remedies such as plants or even alcohol to deal with pain. To know more about the history of painkillers, read ahead. 

To understand the journey of evolution of painkillers, we took a deeper look at studies published in the journals Cureus (2013), Encyclopedia of Pain (2013), and Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ, 2018).

When Ancient Remedies from Nature Were Used as Painkillers

Long before modern hospitals came into the picture, early human civilizations depended entirely on the natural world to find relief from pain. As far back as 4000 BC, the Sumerians in Mesopotamia found out that extracting sap from poppy flowers can create a powerful painkiller. This extract, known as opium, quickly spread across Asia and Europe. This is because it was highly effective at numbing physical agony. 

By the 1600s, European doctors frequently gave their patients mixtures of opium and alcohol to soothe everything – from headaches to stomach cramps. Apart from opium, ancient people also chewed on the bark of willow trees, which contains a natural chemical similar to modern aspirin.

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The Discovery of Modern Drugs

The 19th century witnessed a massive scientific shift. During that time, chemists learned how to isolate the active ingredients in ancient plants. In 1806, a German pharmacist successfully separated a powerful compound from opium. He named it morphine after the Greek god of sleep. 

The invention of the hollow hypodermic needle in 1856 completely transformed medicine. It allowed doctors to inject pain medicine directly into the blood. A pharmaceutical company named Bayer created and sold a new drug called heroin in 1898. It was originally marketed as a safe cough and pain medicine. A year later, in 1899, the exact same company officially introduced aspirin. This turned the ancient willow bark remedy into a convenient daily pill.

The Introduction of Anesthesia in Surgery

Before the modern era, surgeons performed operations while patients were completely awake. The medical experts used only alcohol or raw opium to dull the shock. This terrifying reality changed in the 1840s. That is when doctors discovered that breathing in ether or chloroform gases can make a person completely unconscious. 

These discoveries in the field of early anesthetics allowed surgeons to finally perform longer and much more complex operations, without causing their patients to suffer. Initially, some doctors actually were against putting patients to sleep, believing that pain was a necessary part of the natural healing process. However, patients considered this pain-free surgery to be a complete blessing. Thereafter, anesthesia quickly became a standard medical practice worldwide.

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The Challenge of Chronic Pain and Addiction

While these new chemical painkillers were immensely effective at shutting off pain signals, doctors soon understood they were also dangerously addictive. By 1914, governments began passing strict laws to control narcotics. They feared that a massive wave of addiction could sweep away society. 

For a long time, doctors only concentrated  on treating acute pain from injuries or surgeries and mostly ignored long-term chronic pain conditions. It was not until the 1960s that modern pain management truly emerged as a medical field of its own, which focuses on both the physical and emotional sides of suffering. 

Today, medical science is still fighting a complicated battle to invent safe painkillers that can offer long-term relief without causing deadly addictions.

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Conclusion

From ancient botanical remedies and alcohol to sophisticated modern drugs, the fascinating evolution of painkillers focuses on humanity's quest to conquer physical suffering. However, as the historical struggles with addiction depict, modern medicine is still struggling to find a balance between effective pain relief and long-term patient safety.