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420 BCE
Hippocrates
Hippocrates wrote many writings on the examination and treatment of patients. Which included a strict code to main patient privacy and to never deliberately harm patients. Some may even call him the "founder of medicine". -
Period: 400 BCE to 400
Ancient Times
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320 BCE
C-Section
C-sections were often performed to remove a child from their mother, when she was dead or dying, in order to save the child's life. -
300 BCE
Asclepius
Asclepius was the Greek god of healing and priests adopted the Rod of Asclepius as their symbol of medicine -
15 BCE
Ancient Egypt
Herbs were a huge part of ancient Egyptian medicine. For example,honey was used to heal burns and willow helped treat toothaches. Ancient Egyptian physicians used moldy bread as an antibiotic. -
150
Galen
Galen was a Roman physician of Greek origin. He was a physician to the Gladiators. Galen wrote the doctrine of 4 bodily humors: Blood, Phlegm, Yellow, and Black bile. He also documented the importance of the spinal cord for movement of limbs and performed tracheotomy to cure breathing difficulties. -
Period: 400 to 1400
Middle Ages
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880
Al-Razi
Al-Razi wrote the Kitab al-Hawi fi al-tibb, which was a comprehensive book of medicine. In it he discussed the curing of gout and joints by the application of pastes with colchicum. He was able to observe and identify symptoms of Meningitis. -
1200
Bloodletting
Bloodletting in the Middle Ages was a popular treatment used to treat multiple diseases. They would make small incisions on veins to let the blood flow out or have leeches suck the excess blood out. -
1300
Midwives
Midwives assisted women of all classes when they were giving birth. Since midwives weren’t technically physicians.They were usually women whose only experience was having their own children. -
1320
Barber Surgeons
Barber Surgeons usually served in the military. They treated battle wounds, amputated limbs, and cauterized the stump to stop the patient from bleeding out. -
1400
Herbalists
Herbalists concocted medicines for patients with prescriptions. They would use different seeds, bulbs,leaves, and other plant parts to conjure up a remedies. -
1400
Autopsies
Autopsies were developed to find the cause of death in either suspected murder victims or in the case that someone wanted to find the cause of their illness to have their children treated for it. -
Period: 1400 to
Renaissance
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1500
Printing Press
Although not directly involved with medicine, the invention of the printing press helped medicine advance. This is because the printing press allowed for information and ideas to spread rapidly -
1520
Paracelsus
Paracelsus discovered that by drinking mercury, you could be cured of deadly diseases. Given that mercury was also toxic. -
1543
Andreas Vesalius
Andreas Vesalius was the author of one of the most influential books of human anatomy, De humani corporis fabrica. He was the first to present accurate depiction of human anatomy. -
William Harvey
By studying dying dogs, William Harvey discovered that the heart pumped blood throughout the entire body and that the heart had two distinct beating halves. -
Period: to
Industrial Revolution
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Edward Jenner
Edward Jenner developed vaccinations by using the fluid from cowpox to prevent smallpox. His experiments on people were successful and his new discovery helped save thousands of people. -
Florence Nightingale
Florence Nightingale was the first women to be awarded the Order of Merit. She worked to formalize nursing education and is considering to be the founder of modern nursing. -
Robert Koch
Robert Koch discovered that microorganisms are the source of some diseases. He is considered the founder of modern bacteriology. Koch also identified the bacteria that cause anthrax -
Joseph Lister
Joseph Lister promoted the idea of using sterile instruments and clean hands between patients. He used aseptic techniques to be able to maintain his things clean. -
The Germ Theory
Louis Pasteur proved that microorganisms (germs) existed in the air and caused matter to decay. He later showed that germs land on people and can cause disease. -
Period: to
Modern Era
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Wilhelm Conrad
Wilhelm Conrad produced and detected electromagnetic radiation in a wavelength range. Today we call his discovery X-rays. -
Aspirin
Chemists working in the Bayer AG produced a synthetic version of salicin that was easier on the stomach. This new drug was later named Aspirin. -
Different Human Blood types
Karl Landsteiner identified the presence of agglutinins in blood and developed the modern system of classifying blood into groups. -
Vitamins
Fredrick Hopkins suggested that scurvy and rockets were caused by a lack of vitamins. Therefore, vitamins were discovered. -
Paul Ehrlinch
Paul Ehrlinch developed a chemotherapeutic cure for sleeping sickness. He also developed the first effective cure for syphlilis. -
Yellow Fever Vaccine
Max Theiler developed 17D by cultivating the virus in chicken eggs. Eventually, 17D was proven to be effective and was the first yellow fever vaccine. -
HeLa cells
HeLa cells are the first immortal cells cultured by scientists. Unlike normal cells, HeLa cells divide indefinitely. HeLa cells have been named the mother of modern medicine because of their ability to test diseases and discover more about human genes. -
Laser eye surgery
Mani Lal Bhaumik demostrated the world's first efficient excimer laser. In some cases, the patients wouldn't have any need for glasses or contacts. -
Surgical Robot
Dr Yik San Kwoh created a surgical robot that was initially tested to see if it could extract a bb gun bullet out of a watermelon. It later helped perform a neurosurgical biopsy. -
First full face transplant
The full face transplant was carried out by Spanish doctors on a male adult who had injured his face in a shooting accident. Dr Joan Pere Barret lead the incredible 20 hour surgery. It was the first successful full face transplant.
