Nowadays it is unthinkable that a surgeon would carry out a leg amputation while his patient is awake. Just the thought is enough to make anyone break out in goosebumps!
And yet before the invention of a little substance called anesthetic, that is exactly how surgery was carried out. Patients were given no pain relief at all, let alone one that would put them to sleep. They had to be held down by assistants called "dressers" while the surgeon went to town.
Clearly we've come a long way since those times. Check out this gallery to learn about the history of the anesthetic.