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500
Religion
At this point in time it was still a strong belief that sickness was a punishment by God for their sins. -
Period: 500 to Dec 31, 1300
Middle Ages
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541
Plague of Justinian
The plague of Justinian was the first recorded pandemic. Lasting from 541 into the 700s, historians believe it killed half the population of Europe. -
659
Dental Amalgams
One of the most important contributions to medicine from medieval China was to creation of amalgams for dental procedures. A text from the year 659 details the first use of a substance for tooth fillings, which was made up of silver and tin. The process was not used in Europe until the 16th century. -
754
Pharmacies
The first pharmacy was established in Baghdad in the year 754.As one medieval Arabic physician said these were places for “the art of knowing the materia medica simples in their various species, types and shapes. From these, the pharmacist prepares compounded medications as prescribed and ordered by the prescribing physician.” Pharmacies proved to be very popular and more drug stores soon opened up around the Arabic world. -
1100
Ibn al-Haytham
Ancient writers believed that humans could see things through invisible beams of light that were being emanated from the eyes. The 11th century scientist Ibn al-Haytham, came up with a new explanation for vision through his research on optics and the anatomy of the eye. Medieval Arabic physicians were notable for their advances in the area of ophthalmology, including the invention of the first syringe, which was used to extract a cataract from the eye. -
Period: Jan 1, 1301 to
Renaissance
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1347
The Black Death
As many as 1,500,000 people died due to the Bubonic plague. It was thought to be caused by bacteria in the air, but it was actually passed by rats that carried fleas. -
1377
Quarantine
The concept of quarantine – to keep groups of people apart so that disease could not spread – began in the aftermath of the Black Death. In the year 1377 the city of Ragusa (now known as Dubrovnik) issued orders to combat the plague that included making arriving ships wait 30 days in the harbour before docking, so that authorities could be sure no one was infected -
1490
Leonardo Da Vinci
Leonardo Da Vinci (1452–1519), from Italy, was skilled in several different fields. He became an expert in anatomy and made studies of tendons, muscles, bones, and other features of the human body. -
How Blood is Pumped in Animals
William Harvey publishes An Anatomical Study of the Motion of the Heart and of the Blood in Animals, describing how blood is pumped throughout the body by the heart, and then returns to the heart and recirculates. The book is very controversial but becomes the basis for modern research on the heart and blood vessels. -
Period: to
Industrial Revolution
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Scurvy Prevention
A Scottish naval surgeon discovers that citrus fruits prevent scurvy. He publishes his Treatise of the Scurvy in 1754, identifying the cure for this common and dangerous disease of sailors, although it takes another 40 years before an official Admiralty order dictates the supply of lemon juice to ships. -
Ether
American surgeon Crawford W. Long uses ether as a general anesthetic during surgery but does not publish his results. Credit goes to dentist William Morton. -
Nitrous Oxide
Dr. Horace Wells, American dentist, uses nitrous oxide as an anesthetic. -
Stethoscope
René Laënnec invents the stethoscope -
Antitoxins
Emil von Behring discovers antitoxins and uses them to develop tetanus and diphtheria vaccines. -
Felix Hoffman
Felix Hoffman develops aspirin (acetyl salicylic acid). The juice from willow tree bark had been used as early as 400 BC to relieve pain. 19th century scientists knew that it was the salicylic acid in the willow that made it work, but it irritated the lining of the mouth and stomach. Hoffman synthesizes acetyl salicylic acid, developing what is now the most widely used medicine in the world. -
Period: to
Modern World
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Sir Frederick Gowland Hopkins
Sir Frederick Gowland Hopkins suggests the existence of vitamins and concludes they are essential to health.He wins a Nobel Prize for it. -
Tuberculosis Vaccine
First vaccine for tuberculosis. -
Blood Bank
Bernard Fantus starts the first blood bank at Cook County Hospital in Chicago, using a 2% solution of sodium citrate to preserve the blood. Refrigerated blood lasts ten days. -
First Human Heart Transplant
South African heart surgeon Dr. Christiaan Barnard performs the first human heart transplant. -
Test Tube Baby
First test-tube baby is born in the U.K -
Minimally Invasive and Robotic Techniques Revolutionize Surgery
"Robotic surgery increased the ability of cancer surgeons to get clean margins as well due to the magnification of the structures," -
Period: to
21st Century
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Anti-Smoking Laws
There is no national smoking ban in the U.S., but 27 states and the District of Columbia have enacted smoking bans, including seven states that ban smoking in bars and casinos in recent years. The Institute of Medicine said those public smoking bans have cut exposure to secondhand smoke, which, in turn, has contributed to a reduction in heart attacks and death from heart disease. -
Combination Drug Therapy Extends HIV Survival
Since the introduction of highly active antiretroviral therapy, or HAART, as this combination therapy approach is called, HIV/AIDS has evolved into a serious, but chronic disease with survival stretching into decades. Moreover, this "cocktail" approach to treatment where drugs are combined in different ways or different sequences has become a model for treating other diseases ranging from lung cancer to heart disease. -
Heart Disease Deaths Dropped by 40%
In 1998/2000 the American Heart Association set a decade-long goal to reduce coronary heart disease and stroke and risk by 25% by 2010. We actually realized this goal by 2008 and have seen continued improvements in the reduction of deaths due to coronary heart disease and stroke," said Clyde Yancy, MD, of Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas, Texas. "As of today, we have seen a near 40 percent reduction in death due to coronary artery disease since 1998/2000. -
Thomas Manning
The success of an first-time experimental surgery will determine future availability for U.S. cancer patients and veterans with injuries to the pelvic region. On May 8, 2016, a man named Thomas Manning is the first man to receive a penis transplant at the Massachusetts General Hospital.
