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4000 BCE
Earliest Health Records
The Egyptians were the first civilization to have accurate heal records. -
Microscope
Anton Van Leeuwenhoek invented the first practical microscopes, and used them to study bacteria. -
Thermometer
Gabriel Fahrenheit invented the mercury thermometer in 1714. -
Caesarean Section
The first successful Caesarean section was performed by Doctor Jesse Bennett on his own wife. -
Small-Pox Vaccine
The Small-Pox vaccine was invented in 1796 by Edward Jenner. -
Stethoscope
In 1816 Rene Laennec invented the first stethoscope. -
First Successful Blood Transfusion
James Blundell performed the first successful blood transfusion on humans in 1818. -
First Pharmacist
Louis Joseph Dufilho became America's first licensed pharmacist in the early 1800s. -
Modern Surgery
Joseph Liester became the Father of modern surgery when he lowered infection rates with his use of antiseptics. -
First Plastic Surgery
In 1827 John Peter Mettauer performed the first cleft palate operation. -
Infection Control
Ignaz Semmelweis encouraged physicians to ash their hands after autopsies and before delivering babies, giving birth to infection control. -
Chloroform
The first narcosis with chloroform was performed by James Young Simpson on himself on November 4, 1847. -
First Female Doctor
Elizabeth Blackwell became the first female doctor in January, 1849. -
Skin Transplant
the first successful skin transplant was performed by Jacques-Louis Reverdin in 1869. -
Cocaine Toothache Drops
In the nineteenth century cocaine was used to numb pain in dental procedures. -
Open Heart Surgery
first successful American open-heart surgery was performed by a Black surgeon, Dr. Daniel Hale Williams. -
Gruesome 19th Century Procedures
In the 19th century they would perform horrid operations such as jaw removal or toe amputations. -
Railway Surgery
In the 19th-20th century railyards were so dangerous they needed their own surgeons on sight, leading to a whole new branch of medial practice. -
First Organ Transplant
In 1954, the kidney was the first human organ to be transplanted successfully. -
First Fully Integrated Children's Hospital
St.Jude Children's Research Hospital was the first fully integrated children's hospital in the South.