Gas and air redirects here, for the 1923 film, see Gas and Air (film)

Gas and Air (film)

Gas and Air is a 1923 silent comedy film featuring Stan Laurel.-Cast:* Stan Laurel - Phillup McCann* Katherine Grant - Garage owner's daughter* Eddie Baker - Customer* Charles Stevenson - Garage owner* Noah Young* Roy Brooks...

A mix of nitrous oxide

Nitrous oxide

Nitrous oxide, commonly known as laughing gas or sweet air, is a chemical compound with the formula . It is an oxide of nitrogen. At room temperature, it is a colorless non-flammable gas, with a slightly sweet odor and taste. It is used in surgery and dentistry for its anesthetic and analgesic...

 50% and oxygen

Oxygen

Oxygen is the element with atomic number 8 and represented by the symbol O. Its name derives from the Greek roots ὀξύς and -γενής , because at the time of naming, it was mistakenly thought that all acids required oxygen in their composition...

 50% is a medical anaesthesia gas, commonly known as Entonox (a registered trademark of BOC) or Nitronox, or colloquially as 'gas and air', and is frequently used in pre-hospital care, childbirth

Childbirth

Childbirth is the culmination of a human pregnancy or gestation period with the birth of one or more newborn infants from a woman's uterus...

 and emergency medicine

Emergency medicine

Emergency medicine is a medical specialty in which physicians care for patients with acute illnesses or injuries which require immediate medical attention. While not usually providing long-term or continuing care, emergency medicine physicians diagnose a variety of illnesses and undertake acute...

 situations by medical professionals such as doctors

Physician

A physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments...

, nurses, midwives and paramedic

Paramedic

A paramedic is a healthcare professional that works in emergency medical situations. Paramedics provide advanced levels of care for medical emergencies and trauma. The majority of paramedics are based in the field in ambulances, emergency response vehicles, or in specialist mobile units such as...

s.
Nitrous oxide as a single gas was first used as a medical analgesic in 1844 by American dentist Horace Wells, growing in popularity in the late 1800s.