10 Most Important Medical Advancements

By vjiang
  • 3000 BCE

    First Iteration of Orthopedic Casting

    First Iteration of Orthopedic Casting
    In ancient Egypt, wooden splints made of bark wrapped in linen were the earliest known method of treating fractures. Embalming was used to construct a tight set of splints around the affected area.

  • Concept of Ambulance Service Developed

    Concept of Ambulance Service Developed
    Surgeon-in-chief Baron Dominique Larry created the first official army medical group. Trained attendants were equipped to move from field hospitals to render first aid and then return with the wounded back to the hospital using stretcher, carts, wagons or even carrying them

  • First reclining dental chair invented

    First reclining dental chair invented
    James Snell invents the first reclining dental chair.

  • First Demonstration of Surgical Anesthetics

    First Demonstration of Surgical Anesthetics
    William T.G. Morton demonstrated the mysterious wonder of ether -- a substance powerful enough to dull the pain and agony that had long been associated with surgery.

  • First contact lenses developed

    First contact lenses developed
    Contact lenses are thin plastic lens that are placed directly on the surface of the eye to correct vision. Inventors: Adolf Gaston Eugen Fick and Otto Wichterle

  • Invention of X-Ray

    Invention of X-Ray
    Wilhelm Conrad Roentgen filled empty fluorescent light bulbs with a special gas. When he passed a high electric voltage through it, the tube gave off a fluorescent glow. He then covered the tube with heavy black paper and passed it through the electricity again. He noticed barium coated screen across the lab began to glow.

  • First Vaccine for Yellow Fever

    First Vaccine for Yellow Fever
    Yellow fever is an infectious disease that can damage many organs in the body due to severe bleeding. This disease can be spread by mosquitos. Max Theiler of the Rockefeller Foundation discovered the first vaccine for yellow fever. He is also the only one who has received a Nobel Prize for a virus vaccine. Link text

  • Robert S. Ledley invents CAT-Scans

    Robert S. Ledley invents CAT-Scans
    A CT (computed tomography) scan uses X-rays to make detailed pictures of the structure and organs in the body. Ledley was a dentist and a physicist. He decided to attempt to build a CT scan when he saw the fuzzy pictures of organs from the EMI machine. Link text

  • Human Genome Project

    Human Genome Project
    The Human Genome Project (GHP) had completed a draft sequencing of all the genes that make up DNA. Gene sequencing has helped researches identify mutations and creating better treatments. Link text

  • Augmented Reality

    Augmented Reality
    3D4Medical created "Project Esper" to change the way we study anatomy. It's a technology that shows 3D representation of the body, which you can touch. Link text