During the Middle Ages, a
curious device known as a
soporific, or sleep-inducing,
sponge was adopted as a
means of rendering a patient
unconscious during surgery.
Although relatively primitive
and unreliable with regard to
dosage, the sponge presaged
the anesthesia inhalers of the
19th century. The device was
most likely an Arabic invention,
inspired by the Greek
and Roman pharmacopoeias
of pain killers translated and
studied by Islamic physicians.
Descriptions of the
sponge exist as early as the
9th century in the West and continue through the 17th century, though with greater warnings about its
potential harmful effects. The recipe included opium, belladonna, henbane, mandrake, climbing ivy,
lettuce seed, lapathum seed, and hemlock seed. These ingredients would be mixed together in a large
bowl, in which a sponge would be soaked. The sponge would then be left out in the sun to boil down
and concentrate the ingredients. Then, before an operation, the sponge would be wet and placed under
the patient’s nose, and the fumes would put him to sleep. After the operation, the unconscious patient
would be awakened by a whiff of vinegar.