Vodovozov: Myths About Ancient Anesthesia | Scientists vs. Myths 25-3

Were there no painkillers before the 19th century? Is it true that instead of anesthesia they used a wooden mallet? Were operations in ancient times rare because of unbearable pain? Have questions? Write in the comments—and the speaker will answer them live!

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Scientific outreach forum “Scientists vs myths. A million years before the end of the film”
October 18–19, 2025
Episode-3.
“Good fixation,” a blow with a mallet to the head, and patient patience: myths about anesthesia in ancient times”
Speaker: Alexey Vodovozov — doctor (primary specialization: therapy, secondary: toxicology), science journalist, author of the book “Reasonable Patient,” member of the Association of Medical Journalists.
Winner of the “Russian Sci&Tech Writer of the Year” award (2019), finalist of the “Radiomania” award (2023).
Adversary: Anastasiya Sidorova — neurosurgeon.

00:00 Start
00:51 Poll of viewers “What wasn’t used for pain relief?”
01:17 What is pain for?
02:18 Myth #1. Anesthesia is a modern invention
12:09 Myth #2. Before anesthesia, there were no operations (it was painful)
22:48 Myth #3. Ancient anesthesia—blow with a mallet
26:09 Myth #4. People endured without anesthesia
28:59 Women/children don’t feel pain
31:41 Sources
31:54 Poll results “What wasn’t used for pain relief?”
32:48 Discussion with adversary doctor Anastasiya Sidorova
43:27 Poll of viewers “How do you rate the adversary (Anastasiya Sidorova)?”
43:39 Answers to viewers’ questions
58:01 Choosing the best question
58:35 Poll results “How do you rate the adversary (Anastasiya Sidorova)?”
58:58 Sketch by Yuliya Rodina
59:05 Announcement of Tatyana Korniyenko’s talk “Myths about Gobekli Tepe and its surroundings”

Lecture transcript: https://vk.com/@antropogenez_ru-udar-kolotushkoi-po-golove
Podcast (Apple, Google, etc.): ================

Forum organizer: @AntropogenezRu
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Host: editor of АНТРОПОГЕНЕЗ.РУ Alexander Sokolov
Coordinator: Anastasiya Chernozatonskaya
Sound engineer: Andrey Lebedev
Post-production, broadcast, editing: Pyotr Sterlikov
Operator of screens: Evgeniya Karmanova
Operators: Dmitry Lukin, Sergey Ryzhov, Aleksey Mironov, Valeriya Subbotina
Design: Irina Frolova, Irina Galenkova
Presentation design: Tatyana Borisova, Irina Poverinova, Darya Kornoukhova, Alena Kiseleva, Taliya Gafurova, Evgeniya Belyaeva
Presentation editor: David Klyatov
Photographers: Vladislav Ozeretskovsky, Alexander Zakharchenko, Ina Mashule, Yuliya Sokolova
Transcript: Irina Melnikova
Announcer: Evgeny Prokhorov
Sketches: Yuliya Rodina
Animation: Timur Nizov
Video bumpers: Pyotr Sterlikov, Timur Nizov
Music: Konstantin Ustinovich, Dmitry Denisov
Producer: Georgy Sokolov
Assistant producer: Sabir Enikeyev
Special thanks: Konstantin Anisimov @SINNERGEMS

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