Term | Definition |
Clara Barton | Known for founding the American red cross in 1881. |
The Chinese | Practiced and used acupuncture to relieve pain and congestion. |
Marie Curie | She isolated radium in 1910, making a breakthrough for radiation in medicine. |
Leonardo Da Vinci | Was an artist that was able to depict the human body and it's anatomy by using dissection. |
Dark Ages | The emphasis was placed on saving the soul (spiritual) and the study of medicine was prohibited. They prayed to try to treat epidemics. |
Dorothea Dix | Was appointed the superintendent of Female nurses of the army in 1861. |
The Egyptians | The earliest group of people that were known to maintain and keep record of accurate health records. |
Gabriel Fahrenheit | The inventor that created the first mercury thermometer. |
Sir Alexander Fleming | Discovered penicillin. |
Andreas Vesalius | Can be referred to as "Father of modern human anatomy.". Investigated anatomy by dissecting bodies. He wrote a book on all he had discovered about anatomy (De humani corporis fabrica) that is now one of the greatest medical books. |
William Harvey | Studied beating of heart and blood flow. He discovered that blood circulated throughout the entire body, through arteries, valves and veins, only to go back to the heart. |
Karl Landsteiner | Discovered different blood types and made blood transfusions accurate and safe. |
Dr. Horace Wells, Crawford Long & William Morton | Found a more pain-relieving and workable anesthesia by mixing two chemicals (laughing gas and ether). |
Wilhelm Roentgen | Discovered X-rays in 1895. |
Ignaz Semmelweis | Saw a connection between bacteria and germs and created the practice of washing your hands before a procedure (hand disinfection standards) |
Louis Pasteur | Created the pasteurization process and made the germ theory (proved that germs lead to diseases). Also developed rabies vaccine. |
Edward Jenner | Developed vaccine against smallpox. |
Jonas Salk | Developed the polio vaccine in 1952. |
James Lind | Discovered the importance of a diet with citric fruits (scurvy). |
Howard Florey & Erns Chain | Further developed penicillin and made it a "miracle" antibiotic to cure infections. |
Gerhard Domagk | Known for sulfa drugs, more specifically the development of sulfonamides such as Prontosil |
Sir Frederick Grant Banting, Charles Best &John James Rickard Macleod | Insulin for diabetes, and the affect of diet and oral meds for Diabetes |
Michael Bishop & Harold Varmus | Created a better understanding on cancer cells. Proved that we all have cancer cells, though in some of us they may be inactive. |
Luk Montagnier & Robert Gallo | Uncovered the cause of AIDS also known as the retro virus HIV |
Sir Frederick Gowland Hopkins | Discovered the importance of vitamins and proper nutrition |
Joseph Murray | Performed first successful human kidney transplant |
Hippocrates | Father of Medicine |
Robert Koch | Developed the culture plate method to identify pathogens |
Joseph Lister | Began using antiseptics and disinfectants during surgery (think of listerene as a disinfectant to kill bad breath during a dental cleaning) |
Gregory Mendel | Established patterns of hereditary |
Florence Nightingale | Founder of Modern Nursing (began professional education of nurses). |
Rhazes | Arabic physician who used animal gut for suture material |
Romans | Began public health and sanitation systems |
Ancient times | Had limited knowledge and believed that illnesses believed to be caused by evil spirits and demons (explained by religion) |
Jewish medicine | Avoided medical practice and concentrated on health rules concerning food, cleanliness, and quarantine |
Greek Medicine | Were the first to study causes of diseases and research helped eliminate superstitions. Finally, sanitary practices were associated with the spread of disease |
Four things Hippocrates stressed | Good diet, fresh air,cleanliness and exercise |
Rod of Asclepius | Greek symbol associated with medicine and healing |
René Laennec | Invented the Stethescope in 1819 |
The Renaisance | Rebirth of the science of medicine
Human dissection to view body organs |
16th, 17th and 18th centuries | The knowledge of human body greatly increased and the microscope was invented as well as Apothecaries (early
pharmacists) made, prescribed, and & sold medications. Finally the smallpox vaccine was discovered. |
19th century | Development of machinery and inventions like the stethoscope, nurse training programs and infection control |
20th century | First open-heart surgery in 1950s and computer technology in every aspect of health care |
21st century | Technological advancements in medicine still being developed and made |