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When did Sir Humphry Davy recognize that nitrous oxide could relieve pain?
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anesthetic
How anesthesia works.
Sir Humphry Davy recognized the pain-relieving properties of nitrous oxide during his tenure as chemical superintendent of the Pneumatic Institution, where he conducted his research between 1798 and 1800.1
In his 1800 publication, Researches, Chemical and Philosophical, Chiefly Concerning Nitrous Oxide, or Dephlogisticated Nitrous Air, and Its Respiration, Davy documented the physiological effects of the gas, noting that it produced insensibility to pain. While he identified this potential, the practical application of nitrous oxide as a surgical anesthetic was not widely adopted until decades later.21