The Advent of Regional and Local Anaesthesia
Carl Koller’s 1884 introduction of cocaine anaesthesia for eye surgery launched the field of regional anaesthesia. William Stewart Halsted developed nerve blocks; August Bier pioneered spinal anaesthesia. The search for safer agents produced procaine and lidocaine, while epidural techniques transformed obstetric care. Regional anaesthesia offered safer surgery for countless patients, revolutionising pain management.
