Pioneering New Study - Analysing Aconitine Residue on Medical Instruments from Ming China

A new study published in Antiquity has shown that surgeons in China used topical  anaesthetics during surgery much earlier than previously thought.

Aconitum carmichaelii - Also known as Chinese aconite, Chinese wolfsbane, or Carmichael's monkshood.

In a ground breaking study the team examined surgical instruments from Ming Dynasty China.  The study examines residue left on the instruments and identified specific aconitine residue.  The primary source of aconitine was  Chinese henbane, a plant which is extremely toxic to humans – however used properly – it can be used as a form of topical anaesthetic.  To counter the toxicity the henbane was apparently treated using vinegar, urine, or mung beans.  The relevant substance - aconitine - is found in plants of the Aconitum genus, which are also known as aconite, monkshood and wolfsbane.  The latter two many be familiar to people familiar with western herbal traditions - and also as the title, and murder method, in Ellis Peters' third Brother Cadfael novel - Monk's Hood.

This study is significant on a number of levels.  Firstly, it is now the oldest known archaeological example of the use of a topical anaesthetic during surgery.  Secondly, it proves that studies of residues left on medical instruments are not only possible, but that the method used here is replicable.  Potentially this technique could be applied to a number of substances, and this opens potential new avenues for research.  This allows us to examine medical tools in a new way, giving us firm bioarchaeological evidence for their usage, it also allows us to test how medical recipes from past societies were used in practice and provide new insights into historical pharmacology.  Not only does this provide a greater insight into the material culture of historical medicine, it should also not be forgotten that the study of medieval treatments can aid not only in understanding medicine in the past but can also have a positive influence on medicine in the future.  The example which automatically springs to mind, from a practical point of view, is the Ancientbiotics project.  These discoveries further go to prove a point I have made in many previous entries – medicine in past societies was more effective than we might initially suppose, and that historical medicine can aid us in facing the many challenges of modern medicine.