@SeaGreenEyez
Thanks much for explaining all of that.
How barbaric they were, as are some of them even nowadays.
Maybe the lack of painkiller for childbirth was related to religion somehow, since painkiller was okay for war. Or maybe they wouldn't risk giving opium to babies still connected by the umbilical cord.

Where does ether fit in?

@girlwithsmiles
"The most famous anesthetic, ether, may have been synthesized as early as the 8th century, but it took many centuries for its anesthetic importance to be appreciated, even though the 16th century physician and polymath Paracelsus noted that chickens made to breathe it not only fell asleep but also felt no pain. By the early 19th century, ether was being used by humans, but only as a recreational drug . . . American physician Crawford W. Long noticed that his friends felt no pain when they injured themselves while staggering around under the influence of diethyl ether. He immediately thought of its potential in surgery. Conveniently, a participant in one of those "ether frolics", a student named James Venable, had two small tumors he wanted excised. But fearing the pain of surgery, Venable kept putting the operation off. Hence, Long suggested that he have his operation while under the influence of ether. Venable agreed, and on 30 March 1842 he underwent a painless operation. However, Long did not announce his discovery until 1849." [en.wikipedia.org]

@AnonySchmoose oh brilliant, thank you I thought it was used much longer ago. Really interesting stuff.

@girlwithsmiles
Yes, anesthesia was used longer ago, except it wasn't ether.
"Early medieval Arabic writings mention anaesthesia by inhalation. Inhalational anesthetics were first used by Arabic physicians, such as Abulcasis, Avicenna and Ibn Zuhr in the 11th century. They used a sponge soaked with narcotic drugs and placed it on a patient's face. These Arabic physicians were the first to use an anaesthetic sponge. Arab/Persian physicians also introduced the use of preoperative anaesthetic compounds around the 9th century." [en.wikipedia.org]