A full mastectomy performed without anesthetic at the beginning of the XIX century, and the patient made a full recovery, surviving both the operation and the c

A full mastectomy performed without anesthetic at the beginning of the XIX century, and the patient made a full recovery, surviving both the operation and the cancer into old age. This is nothing short of a miracle. To put it in perspective, the germ theory of disease was virtually unknown and the medical professionals operated with the notion of "miasmas", foul odors and mists that carried diseases though the air.