Historical information

Lidocaine (or lignocaine) is a local anaesthetic (numbing medication) that is used to numb an area of your body to help reduce pain or discomfort caused by invasive medical procedures such as surgery, needle punctures, or insertion of a catheter or breathing tube. It is also sometimes used to treat irregular heart rhythms that may signal a possible heart attack, and can be given in an epidural (spinal block) to reduce the discomfort of contractions during labour.

Significance

This is one of a collection of items received from the practice of Dr Lachlan Hardy-Wilson, FRCOG, Launceston, Tasmania.

Physical description

Cardboard box containing 19 ampoules of Xylocaine 1%. The ampoules are in three strips of five, and one strip of four. Expiry date noted on the box for this medication is August 1985.