Agonising surgery paved the way for anaesthetics
I am in my mid-thirties and I was still operated on without anaesthesia as a child, growing up in a Russian-occupied part of Europe.<p>I remember being tied to a sort of lazy-chair with heavy belts and getting a giant lollipop afterwards. Everything in-between seems like a blur.<p>While it sounds brutal, it was actually a better option, and I am thankful to the surgeon for not putting me under. The thinking was, as I understand now from speaking to my parents, that soviet anaesthesia options were rather primitive and dangerous, especially to a child, and the surgeon elected to omit it, making the operation that much more challenging. Thankfully, he was at the top of his game.