Scientists have done some really strange things in the name of science - and some really gone the distance: they've become their own guinea pigs!
Eleanor Harris of New Scientists has a list of 8 scientists who subjected themselves to their own funny (and gross) experiments. Take, for example, German surgeon August Bier who did this experiment in 1898 while working on spinal anesthesia:
Eleanor Harris of New Scientists has a list of 8 scientists who subjected themselves to their own funny (and gross) experiments. Take, for example, German surgeon August Bier who did this experiment in 1898 while working on spinal anesthesia:
To find out, Bier decided to be anaesthetised himself. But things didn't go as planned for Bier – or for his hapless assistant, Augustus Hildebrandt.
Hildebrandt was supposed to administer the cocaine but, thanks to a mix-up with the equipment, Bier was left with a hole in his neck from which cerebrospinal fluid began to flow.
Rather than abandon the effort, however, the two men switched places. Once Hildebrandt had been anaesthetized, Bier stabbed, hammered and burned his assistant, pulled out his pubic hairs and – presumably eager to leave no stone unturned in testing the new method's efficiency – squashed his testicles.
From the Upcoming ueue, submitted by JKirchartz.
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I believe this is the same Dr. Bier who invented the amazing non-invasive Bier Block tourniquet-style local anaesthesia for limb and extremity repair. I've had it twice for hand surgery and what a refreshing and safe(!) change from traditional medicated anaesthesia (no barfing or double vision or hives for example).
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