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Period: 500 to Dec 31, 1300
Middle Ages
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620
Aaron of Alexandria Syriac
Aaron of Alexander was a Jewish physician who wrote 30 books on medicine. Most of his works compiled from Greek were called the Pandects of Aaron, and were translated into Arabic by Maserjawaihi in AD 683. He was the first medical author who mentioned small pox and measles, to remarkable diseases which probably first appeared and were taken notice at Alexandria in Egypt. -
625
Paul of Aegina
Paul of Aegina was a 7th century Greek physician best known for writing the medical encyclopedia called Medical Compendium in Seven Books. For many years, this work contained the sum of all Western medical knowledge. -
754
Pharmacies
The first pharmacy was established in Baghdad in the year 754. This was a place where the pharmacist prepared compounded medications as prescribed and ordered by the physician. Pharmacies proved to be very popular and more drug stores opened up around the Arabic world. By the 12th century, they could be found in Europe. Having pharmacies greatly aided the development of knowledge about drugs and how they can be made. -
880
Muhammad ibn Zakariya al-Razi
Muhammad ibn Zakaiya al-Razi was a Persian physician, philosopher and important figure in the history of medicine. He was the first to produce acids, writing up extensive notes on diseases such as smallpox and chickenpox. He was the author of the first book on pediatrics. He became a successful doctor in served as chief physician of Baghdad hospitals. He was compassionate and devoted to the service of his patients whether they were rich or poor. -
1200
Hospitals
The origins of hospitals begin in Christian religious establishments that were meant to provide a place to care for the poor and travelers. In Western Europe hospitals were usually run by monasteries and gradually became larger and more complex over the Middle Ages. In the Arabic world, hospitals emerged in the 8th century. -
1301
Autopsy
Autopsy is the most iconic breakthrough of the Renaissance area. Its development opened gates to new dimensions in medical and forensic sciences. It was introduced in Europe by Greeks, but with the rise of Church, the autopsy was considered a horrible offense against the dead. -
Period: Jan 1, 1301 to
Renaissance
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1514
Ambroise Pare
Pare was a French surgeon, anatomist and an inventor of surgical instruments. He was a military surgeon during the French campaigns in Italy of 1533-1536. When he ran out of boiling oil to treat firearm wounds, he tuned to turpentine which he applied to the wounds and found that it relieved pain and sealed the wound. Pare also set up a school for midwives in Paris and designed artificial limbs. -
1537
Hieronymus Fabracius
Hieronymus Fabracius was an anatomist and surgeon that prepared a human and animal anatomy atlas and these illustrations were used in his work called Tabulae Pictae. Fabricius is credited for providing a turning point in anatomical illustration. He focused on the human brain. He also studied veins and was the first to discover the valves inside of veins. -
1578
William Harvey
William Harvey was an English medical doctor known for his contributions in heart and blood movement. William fully believed all medical knowledge should be universal, and he made that his goal. He is credited as the first person in the Western world to give quantitative arguments for the circulation of blood around the body. This work can be found in the written work titled "The Motu Cordis". -
Trocar
A Trocar is a surgical instrument with a bladed slash non dash bladed tip and a hollow tube called cannula. The Trocar was used to alleviate abdominal swelling, bloating, etc. The Trocar has undergone structural and functional changes over time, but the underlying principle remain the same. -
Period: to
Industrial Revolution
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James Blundell
James Blundell was an English obstetrician who performed the first successful transfusion of human blood to a patient for treatment of a hemorrhage. Blundell conducted a series of experiments using animals and observed that as long as the blood was transfused quickly a transfusion would be successful with a syringe even after it had been collected in a container. -
Horace Wells
Horace Wells was an American dentist who pioneered the use of anesthesia in dentistry, specifically nitrous oxide (laughing gas). Wells published a booklet called "An Essay on Teeth", in which he advocated for his ideas in preventive dentistry, particularly the use of a tooth brush. -
stethoscope
The stethoscope has helped save countless lives since its invention. Prior to its invention, physicians performed physical examinations by listening with the human ear alone. This was not ideal as sounds were not amplified, often muffled and the technique relied on the physicians hearing and ear placement position.The stethoscope addressed all these problems in one and changed the way patient diagnosis was performed. It remains one of the most important tools a doctor has to hand. -
Blood Transfusion
The first successful human blood transfusion was performed by British obstetrician, James Blundell in 1818. Blood transfusion is the process of transferring blood or blood products into ones circulation intravenously. Transfusions are used for various medical conditions replace lost components of the blood. -
Aspirin
Aspirin is used to reduce fever and relieve mild to moderate pain. It may also be used to reduce swelling. Given shortly after a heart attach, aspirin decreases the risk of death. Aspirin is a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug. Aspirin is the most widely used medications globally, 50 to 120 billion pills are consumed each year. -
Period: to
Modern World
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Vitamin Supplements
Due to vitamin deficiency, many people in the early 20th century fell to diseases. In some cases, these diseases were difficult to treat due to shortages of certain foods. Fortunately, the creation of vitamin supplements largely eliminated this issue. Our ability to concentrate essential vitamins into the form of a pill has proved to be an excellent tool in the fight against hunger and malnutrition. Vitamin supplements are easy and cheap to produce and do not spoil like the majority of foods. -
Zora Janzekovic
Dr. Zora Janzekovic was a pioneer in the treatment of burn victims and a proponent of tangential excision-the early excision and immediate grafting of burns to reduce morbidity and mortality. Her long medical career and innovative research, all conducted throughout the 20th century helped save the lives of countless burn victims. -
Development of Antibiotics
In the early 20th century, Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin. Ever since this discovery, antibiotics have played a major role in modern medicine. Diseases that once killed millions of people can now be controlled through the use of antibiotics. Post-surgery infections occur very infrequently due to the use of sterilizers and anti-bacterial soap. -
Stanley Dudrick
Stanley Dudrick's pioneering research led to the development of the central venous feeding technique known as intravenous hyperalimentation, or total parenteral nutrition. The technique provided the means to nourish patients whose gastrointestinal tracts were impaired and to this day is widely used to prevent malnutrition in patients of all ages who are unable to obtain nutrients by oral routes. -
Advances in Cancer Treatment
In the 20th century, both chemotherapy and radiotherapy were developed as treatments for cancer. Before the development of these treatments, the vast majority of people who developed cancer died of the disease without any hope of being cured. -
Robert Grant
Dr. Robert Grant is influential in HIV research, advocating for the testing of antiviral drugs to protect healthy people from contracting the disease. Dr. Grant's campaign did lower the HIV rates among population using them preventatively. This provided the basis for further research that studied other preventative treatments for HIV that have proven successful and can help stop the AIDS epidemic. -
Period: to
21st Century
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Cure for Hepatitis C
Hepatitis C is a potentially fatal disease that causes 12,000 deaths every year. With a 95% cure rate, a new drug called Sofosbuvir can help patients avoid the extended treatment period and improve the rate of people cured from Hepatitis C. Sofobuvir has very few side effects and requires only one daily dose making it ideal for widespread use in the quest to eliminate Hepatitis C. -
Bionic Eye
The development of the bionic eye has begun to accelerate in the last few years. The artificial eye uses a camera set into the user's glasses, and the camera then transmits electrical messages wirelessly into the user's retinal implant. While it doesn't fully restore normal vision, it does enable certain patients to attain a level of vision and some patients have even been able to see color. -
Mehmet Oz
Dr. Mehmet Oz is an American cardiothoracic surgeon who became famous as a television personality. He has provided health information to the public through his own television show, "The Dr. Oz Show". He brings attention to a variety of medical conditions and healthy solutions. Dr. Oz has brought public awareness to issues in the medical field that may otherwise have remained hidden or unknown. -
Gene Therapy
Gene therapy is the modifying of someone's DNA to treat disease rather than just treating the symptoms like most drugs on the market. The use of gene therapy technology to treat blood cancers such as leukemia is one of the most exciting medical developments in recent history. Recent experiments have also revealed the potential for gene therapy to be used in reversing other types of cancers such as breast cancer.
