Medical Discoveries
This medical invention has a complicated history, and was first used in 1796.
- Although there is not much information on when vaccines became widely accepted, it is believed that Edward Jenner used the first vaccine in 1796 to fight smallpox. Earlier immunizations were used in China and India.
This medical invention was first used in 1846 to help surgeries.
- Before the invention of anaesthesia, surgery was considered a last resort due to pain, leading many people to opt for death. William TG Morton was the first successfully use anaesthesia (which was chloroform) in 1846.
Before this discovery, scientists believed disease was caused by "spontaneous generation".
- In 1861, Louis Pasteur proved diseases were caused by pathogens infecting a living host. His discovery allowed medical professionals to understand the transmission of diseases through air and contact.
This was the first medical imaging machine.
- Although the ultrasound was technically invented first, the X-Ray was the first medical imaging machine to be used for medical diagnosis. X-Rays were "accidentally" created by Wilhelm Conrad Rӧntgen in 1895.
This was the world's first antibiotic.
- Alexander Fleming created penicillin in 1928, making significant progress in the battle against deadly bacteria. However, Fleming's discovery wasn't mass produced until the 1940s.
This was the first successful organ transplant.
- Dr Joseph Murray and Dr David Hume carried out the first successful kidney transplant in Boston in 1954. This was the first organ transplant where the patient survived after surgery.
The first antiviral drugs were made in an attempt to attack...
- Though antibiotics became popularly used in the 1930s, antiviral drugs didn't become prominent until the 1960s. The first antiviral drugs were developed mainly to fight herpes.
This medical invention has been used to treat blood disorders.
- Stem cell potential was discovered in the 1970s. While stem cell therapy is a very controversial medical discovery, it has been used to help blood disorders. The ethical questions surrounding stem cell aquisition has created a barrier for researchers.
This medical practice has made progress in treating cancer.
- Immunotherapy has been researched for over a century; however, it's only in the last 40s years that significant progress has been made. It stimulates the immune system to help it fight disease.
This technological advancement is expected to pioneer new medical discoveries.
- Artifical Intelligence has produced technology that has had a dramatic affect on the medical world. These new tools can help with surgery and diagnosis.
