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Anaesthesia
Obstetrician, James Young Simpson, administers chloroform to a woman in childbirth to alleviate pain and suffering. -
Antibiotics
Alexander Fleming discovers penicillin and that it can kill bacteria revolutionizing healthcare. -
Risks of Smoking
A major study by Ernst Wynder and Evarts Graham about the harms of smoking was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, decreasing the prevalence of smoking. -
Structure of DNA
James Watson and Francis Crick with the help of Rosalind Franklin's x-ray diffraction data identify the double helix structure of DNA. -
Fetal Ultrasound
Developed by Obstetrician Ian Donald and engineer Tom Brown, the ultrasound was first used for clinical purposes in 1956 in Glasgow. -
Heart Transplant
First human-to-human heart transplant was performed by South African cardiac surgeon Christiaan Barnard on Mr. Louis Washkansky at Groote Schuur Hospital. He only lived for 18 days after the surgery but this marked a major advancement in medical history. -
CAT Scan
Dr. Robert S. Ledley developed the first whole-body computerized tomography (CT or CAT) scanner revolutionizing diagnostic medicine. -
Cochlear Implant
Rod Saunders becomes the world's first cochlear implant recipient to show the benefit of the multi-channel stimulation developed by William F. House and Graeme Clark. -
First In Vitro Fertilized Baby Born
Robert Edwards performed pioneering work in the development of in vitro fertilization and the first baby was born from it. -
Lasik Eye Surgery Approved by the FDA
The Lasik Eye Surgery is approved by the FDA allowing vision to be corrected by removing a small amount of the cornea with an excimer laser.
