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2600 BCE
200+ Diseases Identified
Imhotep was an Egyptian man circa 1667-2600 BCE. While he is best known for his architectural legacy, namely Djoser's Step Pyramid, Imhotep also made significant contributions to medicine at the time. He is considered to be the author of the Edwin Smith Papyrus, named after a man who aquired it in 1862, the document detailed symptoms of and remedies for over 200 illnesses. -
500 BCE
Veins are Distinguished From Arteries
Alcemaeon of Croton was an early Greek philosopher and scientist. He published several medical findings in a book titled On Nature, although this title was likely conceived after Alcmaeon’s life. This publication discussed findings involving the sensory system, human embryo development, as well as the distinguishment between veins and arteries. -
460 BCE
Hippocrates is Born
Hippocrates is often considered to be the father of modern medicine. Many credit him for shifting the Greek's outlook on medicine from superstition and religion to reason and observation. Among his many accomplishments were identifying pneumonia and epilepsy. -
300 BCE
The First Known Anatomy Book is Written
Diocles was a Greek philosopher and student of medicine. During his life he released writings on physiology, botany, and embryology. It is his work on animal anatomy however for which he was remembered, as the work was the first known of it's kind. -
280 BCE
Early Studies on the Nervous System Begin
Herophilus was an Alexandrian physician who took advantage of a period in which the ban on human dissection in Greece was lifted. During this time he was able to further our understanding of the human nervous system. He is often considered to be the father of anatomy. -
60
De Materia Medica is Written
Greek physician Pedanius spent much of his life compiling what was largely considered to be the most complete botanical index for the next 16 centuries. The work documented the features and medicinal properties of over 1000 simple drugs. The work was released in five desperate volumes. -
910
Smallpox is Identified
Persian physician Rhazes, who was widely considered to be the greatest physician of the Islamic world, identified smallpox in one of his most famous treatises. This particular treatise was translated into many other languages including Latin and Byzantine Greek. -
1010
The Canon of Medicine is Written
Avicenna, a Persian philosopher and scientist, composed several books throughout his lifetime. The two most famous of which are the Book of the Cure, a philosophical and scientific encyclopedia, and The Canon of Medicine, one of the most famous medicinal works in history. While globally scholars more highly accredit the work of Rahzes, The Canon of Medicine was adopted in Britain as the preeminent source. -
1259
Spectacles are Invented
Englishman Roger Bacon was a philosopher and a scientist who was a student of mathematics, astronomy, optics, alchemy and language. Many remember him as the first European to describe the process of making gunpowder. Bacon furthered the study of optics, these developments led to the creation of spectacles which came into use shortly thereafter. -
1489
Corpses are Dissected for Medical Research
Leonardo Da Vinci, while mostly remembered a famous artist and inventor, also served to further the human understanding of anatomy. He achieved this through a series of disections, first on animals but eventually moving on to humans. Because all of this work was done in the 15th century, Da Vinci could not chill his cadavers, nor did he have knowledge of embalming. This makes his work in dissection all the more impressive. The drawings Da Vinci ended up publishing were incredibly accurate. -
1543
De Fabrica Corporis Humani is Written
Belgian renaissance physician Andreas Vesalius used his study of anatomy to further not only medicine but also biology. Vesalius was able to deduce that Galenic anatomy was not based off of human dissection but rather it was based on animal dissection. This inspired him to model the human body based only on his own dissections. This work was compiled into what is considered to be the first complete human anatomy textbook, The Seven Books on the Structure of the Human Body. -
The Microscope is Invented
Dutch son of an eyeglass maker, Zachariah Janssen, is often credited with the invention of the microscope and telescope. Two other Dutchmen were working on their own versions of the microscope at the same time and it is unknown who completed it first. However, no matter who invented it, this simple combination of dual lenses for intense magnification of an image allowed for more medical advancement than these men could've dreamed. -
Canine Blood Transfusions are Experimented With
Sir Christopher Wren was an astronomer, mathematician and one of London most prolific architects, an interesting footnote in his life is his place in medical history. Wren initiated the first recorded blood transfusion. The procedure was an attempt to transfuse blood from one dog to another, the receiving canine died. While the operation was unsuccessful and arguably barbaric, it paved the way for modern blood transfusions. -
Blood Cells are Discovered
Antonie Van Leeuwenhoek was a dutch microscopist famous for his advancements in biology and anatomy. Leeuwenhoek studied the microscopes of the past century and built on them, creating a machine that could magnify further than any before it. Using this tool he was able to examine blood and provide the first accurate description of red blood cells. -
Bacteria is Observed
Leeuwenhoek continued his studies all his life and this led him to examine microorganisms in pond water. These were the first bacteria examined by the human eye. Leeuwenhoek was able not only to observe these microscopic creatures but to measure them as well.