Did they have anesthetics in World War 1?

Answer 1

Mercifully the surgeons had ether for an anesthetic in World War One. However the only post-operative pain killer available was morphine, which is of course highly addictive. There were a great many wounded men who returned home with a morphine addiction, some of whom were never able to conquer the drug. This was the first great wave of drug addiction in the US and the UK.

Answer 2

They did use some herbal mixtures but mainly it was narcotics and poisonous elements such as lead and Mercury! Here's a list to get you started and check out the websites I have put down - they make you realise how primitive medicine was in WW1.

Marijuana (Cannabis) was available for medical treatment in the early years of the 20th Century in England and America It was used as an analgesic and was prescribed for migraine, neuralgia and dysmenorrhoea. The preparations available were the alcoholic tincture and aqueous extract.

Opium - used largely as a sedative, analgesic, hypnotic, diaphoretic, and antispasmodic

Iodin - a powerful counter-irritant, disinfectant, and parasiticide.

Chloroform - sedative and anasthetic

Digitalis - Powerful cardiac stimulant, producing greater force of contractions of the heart muscle, and reducing number of beats per minute, with increased arterial pressure. Because of this increased arterial pressure it acts as a powerful diuretic.

Cocaine hydrochloric - local anesthetic, mydriatic, and cerebral stimulant

Lead acetate, sugar of lead - used internally as an astringent in the treatment of diarrhea and externally as a lotion in the treatment of bruises and sprains, as a sedative and astringent.

Quinin chlorhydrosulphate - used as a nervous sedative and hypnotic

Quinin sulphate - an antiperiodic, tonic, and antipyretic, especially in the treatment of malarial fevers

Sandalwood oil - stimulant, diuretic, disinfectant, and expectorant. Largely used in the treatment of inflammation of the genito urinary tract, bronchitis and chronic inflammatory conditions of the mucous membranes

Mercury - treatment for sexually transmitted diseases

Codein - a sedative in the treatment of coughs to lessen the irritation in the respiratory tract. Of great value in the cough of tuberculosis.

The Anzac troops (Australian and New Zealanders) used Tea Tree oil as an antiseptic.