We all know that the large arteries in the neck are called
"carotid".
From the root site:
carotid Gr. karoun = to put to sleep. In early Greece, jokesters used to cause goats to fall down motionless by pressure on these arteries and to return to normal by release of pressure. This is because horses and goats depend entirely on the carotids for their cerebral blood supply, since the vertebral arteries are insufficient. (An ancient day "sleeper hold".)