The word "stupefy" has long served as a versatile literary tool, used to depict both physical and emotional states of overwhelming shock. For instance, Chekhov illustrates its effect with potent alcohol that renders one nearly insensible to lighter sensations [1], while Thackeray uses the term more figuratively to caution against self-imposed inertia at home [2]. In other texts, the term takes on a mythical quality as Frazer describes fumes that stupefy witches, and even classical roots are explored by Luce to tie the word to an enchanted, spellbound state [3, 4]. Jefferson and others extend its meaning to encompass amazement and cognitive numbing, as seen in his varied references and in the dynamic portrayals by Montaigne and Guy de Maupassant [5, 6, 7, 8]. Overall, authors have employed "stupefy" to capture an array of effects—from the literal inability to react to an almost magical incapacitation of the senses and spirit [9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14].