A barbiturate drug used historically as a sedative and anesthetic, particularly in veterinary medicine.
From German 'Avertin,' named after the god Avernus (associated with darkness and poison), referring to the drug's sedative effects. Developed in the early 20th century and used through the mid-1900s.
Avertin was once the go-to anesthetic for surgery, but doctors discovered it could cause serious liver damage—a cautionary tale about how 'modern medicine' sometimes needed to be abandoned. It's now obsolete.
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