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Medieval Surgeons Had a Sophisticated Anesthetic Playbook—and Dosing Mattered

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Long before aspirin, surgeons mixed potent plant extracts into wine and sponges—like a medieval pharmacist balancing pain relief against the risk of overdose and lasting harm.

This means the history of medicine shows that careful dosing and experimentation aren't modern innovations—surgeons understood risk-benefit tradeoffs centuries ago, and we're still using similar principles today.

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