/oss/taxonomy/term/1224/all en /oss/article/history-general-science/curious-about-curare <hr /> <p><em>Olivia Fraser Barsby is a biology and anthropology student at şÚÁϲ»´ňěČ University, specializing in conservation, ecology, evolution and behaviour. </em></p> <hr /> <p>Blowdart poison and modern anaesthesia: at first glance, you might not think they have much in common. And that’s fair—their connection runs further and deeper than I’d ever imagined. But hey, surgery would look a heck of a lot different today without this relationship—all thanks to “curare.”</p> Thu, 18 Mar 2021 15:10:00 +0000 Olivia Fraser Barsby, Student Contributor 8659 at /oss /oss/article/health-history-science-science-everywhere/joe-schwarcz-james-simpson-chloroform-pioneer-took-pain-away <p>The experiment, James Simpson decided, would go ahead even though the rabbits had died. And that decision was destined to have such a huge impact on medicine that more than 100,000 grateful Scots lined the streets of Edinburgh in 1870 to pay their respects as Simpson’s funeral cortège passed by. Many had undergone surgery or had given birth to children painlessly thanks to Simpson’s great discovery: chloroform.</p> Sat, 05 Oct 2013 16:17:51 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 2018 at /oss