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Joseph Priestley
Priestley's findings were that nitrous oxide is capable of destroying physical pain. The vapors of nitrous oxide slow down the body's movement and cause a numbing sensation. He wanted to use this during surgeries. Nitrous oxide is now known as an anesthetic.
Cited Work: https://interestingengineering.com/15-medical-inventions-and-discoveries-of-the-1800s-that-have-come-to-define-modern-medicine -
Charles Henri Leroux
Leroux isolated salicylic acid which is where aspirin is derived from. Salicylic acid was discovered to be too harsh on the stomach, so it was converted into what we now call Aspirin. Aspirin impedes certain substances in your body which diminishes pain. Today, aspirin is the wold's most used medicine.
Cited Work: https://interestingengineering.com/15-medical-inventions-and-discoveries-of-the-1800s-that-have-come-to-define-modern-medicine -
Louis Pasteur
He worked with Robert Koch and found that germs are the main cause of diseases. They were only able to discover this through microscope technology. Pasteur said that germs could be transferred through human contact and medical instruments. Today's modern medicine would not be the same if it wasn't for Pasteur.
Cited Work: https://interestingengineering.com/15-medical-inventions-and-discoveries-of-the-1800s-that-have-come-to-define-modern-medicine -
Gerty Cori
Gerty Cori worked with her husband, Carl Cori. They studied metabolism and how energy is released and stored. Among their research, they found that glucose releases energy when it is broken down and metabolized. Their studies also helped develop treatments for diabetes.
Cited Work: https://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/education/whatischemistry/landmarks/medical.html -
Albert Szent-Györgyi
Szent-Györgyi discovered Vitamin C, which allows the body to use and break down carbohydrates. It acts like an antioxidant which protects the cells. Vitamin C also plays a major role in repairing damaged tissues and it can reduce the risk of catching diseases.
Cited Work: https://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/education/whatischemistry/landmarks/medical.html -
Otto Wichterle
Wichterle is known for his invention of the soft contact lens. Although he was not the first person to make contact lenses, he was, however, the first to create the soft lenses. He and his partner, Lim, created soft lenses by using a certain gel, poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) (PHEMA).
Cited Work: https://www.mayoclinicproceedings.org/article/S0025-6196(16)00071-9/fulltext -
Pablo DT Valenzuela
Valenzuela helped develop a vaccine for hepatitis B. Hepatitis B is a liver infection that can cause liver failure. If not treated, it could even cause cancer. The vaccine is normally injected in babies to prevent them from catching the infection. Another accomplishment Valenzuela made was that he was the director in the discovery of hepatitis C.
Cited Work: https://califesciences.org/pablo-valenzuela-2012-lifetime-achievement/
