Original: It was created by the German chemist Alfred Einhorn ( 1856 -- 1917 ) who gave the chemical the trade name Novocaine , from the Latin nov - ( meaning new ) and - caine , a common ending for alkaloids used as anesthetics .
Simplified: It was created by the German scientist Alfred Einhorn ( 1857-1917 ) who gave the chemical the name Novacaine , from the Latin word novus ( which means new ) and caine , as in '' cocaine . ''