What qualities make a drug an anesthetic?

This is a common question. While you don't need to know at this point which drugs have which properties, you should know the goals of anesthetic drugs. Amnesia or memory loss is needed to prevent patients from remembering moments in their surgery which my otherwise traumatize them. Analgesia or decreased ability to feel pain is necessary as both intubation and surgery are very painful processes. Sedation or diminished consciousness is needed so the patient will not have to live out the nightmare of being awake for their own surgery. Muscle relaxation is important because it allows for easier intubation, decreases the patient's ability to fight the ventilator, and assists surgeons with their incisions.