military surgeons as early as 1849 - well before the US Civil War began in 1861. This seems rather improbable, as effective anaesthesia using ether and chloroform was introduced in 1846/47 and ether was issued to U.S. The most frequently cited origin of the alleged 'biting the bullet' practice is the American Civil War. Whether or not they might have been offered anything to nibble on, there's little doubt that they would have been fortified with strong drink. Many artists, notably Rembrandt Van Rijn and Hieronymus Bosch, painted scenes of early surgery and none of those paintings shows patients biting into anything. That would have been a neat solution but, lacking any supporting evidence, it seems best to discount it. Worth investigating certainly, but my initial enthusiasm was dampened rather by finding that no records of the phrase 'bite the billet' can be found in historical newspapers and other records. Lead poisoning would probably have been a secondary concern in those circumstances.Īn ingenious correspondent has suggested that, as wooden sticks are known as billets, the stick-biting practice might have first been called 'biting the billet' which then modified to 'biting the bullet'. A bullet, being somewhat malleable and not likely to break the patient's teeth, is said to have been an impromptu battlefield alternative. So, is it true or is it just 'believed'? The theory goes that patients undergoing surgery would be given a stick of wood or a pad of leather to bite on in order to concentrate their attention away from the pain and also to protect against biting their own tongues.
Sadly, 'I've always believed' has to be as poor an opening gambit as 'a man in a pub told me' in a piece discussing the origins of a phrase. I've always believed that, before the days of effective anaesthetics, soldiers were given bullets to bite on to help them endure pain.
What's the origin of the phrase 'Bite the bullet'? Bite the bullet What's the meaning of the phrase 'Bite the bullet'?Īccept the inevitable impending hardship and endure the resulting pain with fortitude.
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