A 600-year-old set of surgical instruments found in a grave China The world’s first chemical evidence of a topical anesthetic has emerged. The anesthetic drug used to numb the skin in surgical procedures was made from the highly poisonous plant Chinese wolfsbane. However, among other things, the poisonous plant was first detoxified with urine.
“Six centuries ago, a surgeon in the Ming Dynasty performed an operation with a pair of iron scissors and tweezers, and today we have read the traces of anesthetic drug left on those instruments using a beam of laser light,” said study co-author Kangkang ZhaoAn archaeologist at Northwest University Chinasaid in a statement.
In a study published Tuesday (May 26) in the journal ancient timesZhao and his colleagues analyzed two surgical instruments discovered decades ago in the tomb of Xia Quan of the Ming dynasty (circa 1368 to 1644) in the city of Jiangyin, about 90 miles (150 kilometers) northwest of Shanghai.
Based on X-ray fluorescence analysis, which is a non-destructive technique that reveals the elemental composition of an object, the researchers determined that both the scissors and tweezers were made of iron. Then, under a microscope, they selected three small particles of rust-colored residue on the devices with the hope of identifying traces of organic compounds.
To determine the composition of the residue, the researchers used micro-Raman spectroscopy, a technique in which laser beams are shined onto a sample, causing the sample to scatter photons. That scattering pattern can be analyzed to generate a structural fingerprint of the molecules in the sample.
Raman spectroscopy analysis of the two surgical instruments revealed the presence of the cyano functional group, which is found in hydrogen cyanide as well as organic components of oils and fats. Overall, these results indicated “medicinal and potential anesthetic properties for the residues,” the researchers wrote. “The alkaloid toxin aconitine has been suggested as a possible component of the residue.”
In whose plants is aconitine found? Aconitum The genus, which is native to North America, Europe, and Asia. Also known as aconite, monkshood and wolfsbane, the flowering plants are extremely poisonous – but they also have uses. traditional asian medicine For centuries, primarily for their analgesic properties. The researchers write that Ming Dynasty physicians knew how to dilute plant poisons, using acidic substances such as mung beans, vinegar or the urine of young boys to detoxify aconite and turn it into an anesthetic powder or liquid.
“Ming physicians used iron surgical instruments and controlled the toxicity of aconitine through topical application, compound prescription, and strict procedural controls, demonstrating the practical ability to balance drug potency with patient safety,” Zhao said.
Researchers said that 600-year-old iron instruments were used in minor surgeries. First, the doctor will apply a numbing agent to the area, then use tweezers to hold the skin and scissors to cut away the outer layer. Anesthetic residues were present on both devices and were concentrated in functional areas consistent with application during surgery. It is likely that the anesthetic in this case was in liquid form; It may have fallen onto iron tools, escaped cleaning, and eventually corroded the metal.
This analysis marks the first time that researchers have found direct chemical evidence of anesthetics on ancient surgical instruments. “Combined with records of anesthetic prescriptions in Ming Dynasty medical texts, the study confirms that Aconitum It was employed as a topical anesthetic, applied safely and precisely during surgical procedures,” Zhao said.
Ling, X., Li, J., Zhao, G., Cao, X., Weng, X., Zhang, H., Li, Z., Zhao, C. (2026). Surgical Anesthesia in Ming China: A Scientific Analysis of Aconite Residue on Medical Instruments. ancient times. https://doi.org/10.15184/aqy.2026.10347
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