Anodyne
An anodyne is a
painkillers
.
The term anodyne derives from
nightshade (stramonium), and chloroform.[1]
Certain compound medicines were also called by this name, such as anodyne balsam, made of castile soap, camphor, saffron, and spirit of wine, and digested in a sand heat. It was recommended not only for easing extreme pain, but also for assisting in discharging the diseased tissue that caused or occurred with the pain.
In literary usage, the word has escaped its strictly medical meaning to convey anything "soothing or relaxing" (since the 18th century) or even anything "non-contentious", "blandly agreeable", or unlikely to cause offence or debate.[5]
See also
Notes
- ^ a b c d e EB (1878).
- ^ Cyclopaedia (1728).
- ^ EB (1911).
- ^ Quain (1883).
- ^ "Anodyne", definitions 2 and 3, Wiktionary.
References
- Chambers, Ephraim, ed. (1728), "Anodyne", Cyclopædia, James & John Knapton.
- Baynes, T. S., ed. (1878), , Encyclopædia Britannica, vol. 2 (9th ed.), New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, p. 90
- Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911), , Encyclopædia Britannica, vol. 2 (11th ed.), Cambridge University Press, p. 79
- Quain, Richard (1883), A Dictionary of Medicine: Including General Pathology, General Therapeutics
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