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2750 BCE
Surgery
The first known surgery happened in Ancient Egypt. -
460 BCE
Hippocrates is Born
Hippocrates was born in Ancient Greece and is known as "The Father of Modern Medicine". He rejected the superstitions about illnesses and based his practices on observation, study, and logic. He made many medical advances and wrote a code of medical ethics which we still use today. -
70
De Materia Medica
Pedanius Dioscorides wrote De Materia Medica, a book about pharmacology. It described approximately 600 medical herbs and created around 1,000 medicines. -
1450
Renaissance Medicine
Although radiation and radiation therapy wasn't thought of until later, some of the discoveries of medicine and cures during the Renaissance period helped shape the medical field and doctors, into what they are today. -
1543
De humani corporis fabrica
Andreas Vesalius releases "De humani corporis fabrica", a book that contained many detailed, anatomic sketches of the human body that he got by dissecting and examining corpses. -
Micrographia
Robert Hooke publishes the first book to illustrate insects, plants, and cells through the use of a microscope. This book started getting more scientists interested in microbiology. The book is also where the word "cell" was coined. -
James Lind Discovers that Citrus Fruits Prevent Scurvy.
James Lind, a Scottish naval surgeon discovers that citrus fruits prevent scurvy. He published "Treatise of the Scurvy" in 1753 identifying that citrus fruits prevent scurvy. -
UV Radiation Treatment for Tuberculosis
In the 1890's, Niels Finsen developed a UV radiation treatment for skin tuberculosis. -
Start of Radiation
Radiotherapy or radiation therapy was discovered by Wilhelm Röntgen in 1895. He conducted many experiments which resulted into him discovering radiation (and x-rays too) -
Invention of Bone Scan
In the late 1930's, a doctor named Ernest Lawrence created the first bone scan which allowed doctors and scientists to analyze issues with the bone such as infections, cancer, or fractures in the bone. -
Invention of NMR (Nuclear Magnetic Resonance)
In 1945, 2 american scientists, named Felix Bloch and Edward Percell, created the NMR which allowed scientists to study the properties and structures of molecules in the body. -
Invention of CT Scan
In 1972, a man named Godfrey Hounsfield created the CT scan using x-rays which creates cross-sectional imaging. He was eventually awarded the Nobel peace prize for his contributions to medicine. -
First PET Invented
In 1973, 3 scientists, Edward Hoffman, Michael M. Ter-Pogossian, and Michael E. Phelps, invented the PET scan which is an imaging test to see how a persons organs and body functions and can help detect diseases before they show up.
