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6000 BCE
First medical instrument recorded
“The cutting of granite was done by jeweled tubular drills . . . with cutting points. of emery . .. set in the sides of the tube both inside and out . .. every mechanic who has examined the grooves on .. . a core of red granite from Gizeh agrees that nothing but a fixed point could have cut such grooves.” -
hypodermic syringes
A hypodermic needle is a skinny, hollow tube with one sharp tip. It is one of the medical tools that enter the skin, and it is called sharps. It is commonly used with a syringe, a hand-operated device with a plunger, to inject substances into the body or extract fluids from the body. -
Anatomy
The first documented scientific dissections on the human body are carried out as early as the third century B.C. in Alexandria. At that time, anatomists explore anatomy by dissecting animals, primarily pigs and monkeys. -
anesthesia
uses drugs called anesthetics to keep you from feeling pain during medical procedures. Local and regional anesthesia numbs a specific area of your body. General anesthesia makes you temporarily unconscious (fall asleep) so you can have more invasive surgeries. -
oxygen mask
An oxygen mask is a mask that provides a method to transfer breathing oxygen gas from a storage tank to the lungs. Oxygen masks may cover only the nose and mouth (oral nasal mask) or the entire face (full-face mask). They may be made of plastic, silicone, or rubber. In certain circumstances, oxygen may be delivered via a nasal cannula instead of a mask. -
The discovery of antibiotics
In 1928, at St. Mary's Hospital, London, Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin. This discovery led to the introduction of antibiotics which greatly reduced the number of deaths from infection.