P057 James Carrick Moore and the origins of brachial plexus anaesthesia: a forgotten legacy of Moore’s compressor in the 18th century

<h3>Background and Aims</h3> The evolution of brachial plexus anaesthesia has progressed from mechanical innovations to modern chemical nerve blocks. This presentation explores the origins of brachial plexus anaesthesia prior to the advent of cocaine-based techniques, focusing on James Carrick Moore’s pioneering work in regional anaesthesia. In 1784, Moore introduced a nerve compression device designed to diminish surgical pain—an innovation that predated general anaesthesia by six decades. His publication, A Method of Preventing or Diminishing Pain in Several Operations of Surgery, is recognised as the first English-language text dedicated to anaesthesia. Through extensive historical and archival research, this presentation retraces Moore’s influence across Europe, and investigates the gradual decline of his methods. The findings illuminate the historical understanding of nerve compression anaesthesia before and after Moore’s time, the transnational reception of Moore’s device, and its eventual decline into obscurity. This presentation contributes to a broader understanding of pre-chemical regional anaesthesia and repositions Moore’s work within the narrative of anaesthesia history.