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In 1543, Andreas Vesalius published a set of books titled “De Humani Corporis Fabrica Libri Septem” (On the fabric of the human body in seven books). His books included illustrations and diagrams of male and female anatomy. He was one of the first physicians to accurately represent and illustrate human anatomy, which led to improved understanding of the human body and enhance surgery techniques as well. -
The British physician Richard Lower performed the first successful blood transfusion recorded in 1665. This blood transfusion was performed when Richard Lower bled a dog almost to death and then revived the animal by transfusing blood from another dog via a tied artery. (Mandal, 2019) -
The basis for vaccination began in 1796 when the English doctor Edward Jenner noticed that milkmaids who had gotten cowpox were protected from smallpox. Jenner also knew about variolation and guessed that exposure to cowpox could be used to protect against smallpox. (CDC, 2021) -
With this new instrument, Renee Laennec investigated the sound made by the heart and lungs in order to determine that his diagnoses were supported by observations during autopsies. (Roguin, 2006) -
The first anesthesia that was understood as a method to achieve insensitivity of the patient in a surgical intervention is attributed to the American dentist, where he successfully used ethyl ether in a tooth extraction. Later, he performed a public demonstration of his achievement, which led to the birth of anesthesiology that we know today (ACUNSA, 2016). -
Pasteur demonstrated that microorganisms cause disease and discovered how to make vaccines from weakened microbes. He developed vaccines against fowl cholera, anthrax, and rabies. (Science History Institute, 2016) -
The first public health structures came into being in the second half of the nineteenth century in the port cities on the East coast. By the 1870s and 1880s, most states had established their own public health structures thanks to the industrialization and rapid population growth in the big cities. (Tulchinsky & Varavikova, 2014) -
In 1895, physicist Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen becomes the first person to observe X - rays. He discovered that X - rays had the capacity to penetrate human flesh but not higher - density substances such as bones, and that they can be photographed. X - rays became an important tool for diagnosis in medicine, letting doctors see inside the human body for the first time without the need of surgery. -
At St. Mary’s Hospital, London, Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin, this discovery led to the introduction of antibiotics, which have greatly reduced the number of deaths from different types of infections. -
On April 7, 1948 this organization that is part of the United Nations and that focuses on global health issues was created, with the goal of building a better and healthier future for people around the world, the same day we commemorate “World health day”. The World Health Organization has been working through the years to fight diseases, such as the eradication of poliomyelitis or AIDS, childhood immunization, improve access to medicines and other important issues (Marqués, F., 2015). -
James D. Watson and Francis Crick demonstrated the double helix structure of DNA, a molecule that carries the genetic program of living organisms. Their discovery explained the mechanism through which DNA splits into two helices to reproduce into two identical molecules, becoming the basis for genetic inheritance, all thanks to a picture taken by Rosalind Franklin. This opened a world of possibilities to treat genetic disorders medically (Barchilón, M., 2019). -
On July 3, 1977, the first magnetic resonance imagery on a human patient was performed. This technique identifies atoms by how they behave in a magnetic field; it has been extremely useful in medicine for imagining internal bodily structures and to diagnose diseases in a non-invasive manner. (Codos, 2006) -
In 1991, Göran Dahlgren and Margaret Whitehead introduced the model of determinants of health. This model maps the relationship between the individual, the environment and their health. Health inequalities in society, where your level of health is connected to your socioeconomic level, have led to a growing awareness that many health issues can be determined by social factors (Economic and Social Research Council, 2021).