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2600 BCE
Imhotep
An Egyptian man who was skilled in many areas, especially in architecture and medicine. He described the diagnosis and treatment of 200 diseases. Instead of believing that the gods punished then by sending illness, he believed that it came naturally. -
Period: 2600 BCE to 400
Ancient times
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335 BCE
Herophilos
A Greek physician who was deemed to be the first anatomist. Did dissections on human cadavers, and is often called the father of anatomy. Died 280 BC -
160 BCE
Hippocrates
Father of medicine. His medical research was based off of observation and study on the human body. He still influences medicine nowadays, especially with the Hippocratic oath. Died: 370 BC -
40
Dioscorides
He was a Greek physician, pharmacologist, botanist, and author of De Materia Medica. De Materia Medica is a pharmacopeia of herbs and the medicines that can be obtained from them. De Materia Medica was written during 50-70 AD. Died: 90 AD. -
129
Galen
Roman physician of greek origin/ physician to the radiators. Doctrine of 4 bodily humors: blood, phlegm, yellow, and black bile. Died: 210 AD -
Period: 400 to 1400
middle ages
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854
Rhazes
A Persian physician who documented differences between smallpox and measles. Contributed to the early practice of pharmacy. Died: 925 AD -
980
Avicenna
Complied The Cannon of Medicine, volumes about Greek and Arabic medicine. Also wrote the Book of Healing. Died: 1037 -
1205
Theodoric Borgognoni
An Italian surgeon. Major medical work was the Cyrugia which was a four volume treatise covering all aspects of surgery. Died: 1296 -
1270
Mondino de Luzzi
An Italian physician, anatomist, and professor of surgery. Credited as the restorer of anatomy since he reintroduced public dissection of human cadavers and writing the first modern anatomical text. Died 1326 -
1346
Black Death
A horrible pandemic of the bubonic plague that killed 60% of Europe's entire population. Citizens learned to be more clean when it came to hygiene. 1346-1353 AD -
Period: 1400 to
Renaissance
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1452
Leonardo Da Vinci
Directed human cadavers and made details drawings from his observations. He drew things like muscle structure to the heart, helping increase the knowledge of anatomy and physicians. Died: 1519 -
1514
Andreas Vesalius
Wrote De Human Corporis Fabric, on of the influential books about human anatomy. Referred to the founder of modern human anatomy. Died: 1564 -
Zacharias Janssen
Was a Dutch spectacle maker. With this, he is credited with inventing the first microscope. Died: 1632 -
William Harvey
Studied dying dogs, and showed that the heart pumped blood throughout the entire body. Also showed that the heart had two halves. This helped nurture research on the heart. -
Anton Van Leeuwenhoek
A Dutch scientist who was the first person to observe single celled organisms, in which he called animalcules. He also was the fist to observe and record muscle fibers, bacteria, and capillaries. Considered as the father of microbiology. Died: 1723 -
Claudius Amyand
A French surgeon who preformed the first recorded successful appendectomy. An appendectomy is the surgical removal of the appendix. -
Period: to
Industrial Revolution
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Astley Cooper
First to demonstrate experimentally the effects of bilateral ligation of the arteries in dogs and to propose treatment of aneurysms by ligation of the vessel. Was an English surgeon and anatomist. -
James Blundell
Performed the first successful blood transfusion of human blood. It was for a patient for a treatment of a hemorrhage. Died: 1878 -
Edward Jenner
Developed vaccinations for smallpox. Made the first vaccine. -
Rene Laennec
A French physician who invented the stethoscope. Hailed as the father of thoracic medicine. -
Period: to
Modern Era
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Elizabeth Blackwell
The first woman in America to gain a medical degree. Was also the first woman on the UK medical register. -
Joseph Lister
Encouraged the idea of sterile instruments and hands between patients. He used carbolic acid to clean his instruments and hands. Known as the father of antiseptic surgery. Died: 1912 -
Penicillin
The first true antibiotic was discovered by Alexander Fleming out of pure accident. Penicillium notatum had contaminated his Petri dishes, and after observing it, he found out that it killed harmful bacteria. -
HeLa cell
An immortal cell line taken from the cancer cells of the patient Henrietta Lacks. They were the first human cells that grew well in a lab. -
Rosalind Franklin
She studied the structure of DNA using X Ray. Her studies helped the discovery of how DNA is structured. Died from ovarian cancer. -
Joseph E. Murray
Performed the first successful kidney transplant on identical twins. He was an American plastic surgeon. -
Christiaan Barnard
Was the first to perform human heart transplant and double heart transplant (1974). He was a South African cardiac surgeon. -
Louise Joy Brown
The first test tube baby born. A test tube baby is a baby born by in vitro fertilization. -
HIV is identified
The virus that caused AIDS was discovered. HIV/AIDS is a sexually transmitted disease that kills white blood cells. -
Dolly the Sheep
A sheep who was the first mammal cloned from an adult somatic cell. Died from lung disease and severe arthritis.
