Procaine

Procaine, or novocaine, pain-killing drug used as an anesthetic. Developed by German chemist Alfred Einhorn in 1905, procaine is injected into a designated area of the body to deaden nerve sensitivity prior to a surgical procedure being performed. It has been largely replaced by more effective nerve blocks in recent years but it remains popular with dentists, who inject it into the gums of patients whose teeth they are preparing to work on.

See also: Anesthesia.