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A substance used in medical procedures to paralyze sensory nerve endings and/or nerve fibers, thus producing loss of sensation. Anesthetic substances enable patients to undergo operations and other invasive procedures that involve severe pain. Local anesthesia is used to numb a specific, small part of the body, while general anesthesia, which is used in major surgeries, affects the whole body and induces a complete loss of consciousness.
"Operating room anesthetic station, February 14, 2013" by Coronation Dental Specialty Group is licensed under CC BY-SA.
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References
Bloom, Floyd E.
2015 Anesthetic. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
http://www.britannica.com/Ebchecked/topic/24338/anesthetic, accessed April 20, 2015.
Medical Dictionary: The Free Dictionary
2015 Anesthetic. http://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/anesthetic, accessed
April 20, 2015.