Medical Advancements in the 19th Century

Royal College of Surgeons

Founded in London in 1800 as a medical school

French barbers

Acted as surgeons in the past, performing dental extractions and using leeches for treatment

First federal vaccination legislation

Enacted in 1813

James Blundell

Performed the first successful blood transfusion on humans in 1818

René Laënnec

Invented the stethoscope in 1816

Dr. Philippe Pinel

Introduced humane treatment for mental illness

Pandemic of cholera

Occurred in 1832

Theodor Fliedner

Established one of the first training programs for nurses in Germany in 1836

Ignaz Semmelweis

Advocated for handwashing to prevent childbirth fever in the 1840s

Dr. William Morton

Began using ether as an anesthetic in 1846

Dr. James Simpson

Started using chloroform as an anesthetic in 1847

American Medical Association

Formed in Philadelphia in 1847

Elizabeth Blackwell

First female physician in the United States in 1849; founded the first Women's Medical College in New York in 1868

American Pharmaceutical Association

Held its first convention in 1853

Florence Nightingale

Founder of modern nursing; established efficient nursing units during Crimean War, opened nursing school in 1860

Dorothea Dix

Appointed Superintendent of Female Nurses of the Army in 1861

International Red Cross

Founded in 1863

Joseph Lister

Introduced disinfectants and antiseptics during surgery in 1865

Elizabeth Garrett Anderson

First female physician in Britain in 1870; first woman member of the British Medical Association in 1873

Paul Ehrlich

German bacteriologist; developed methods for disease detection, immunity theories, and used chemicals to eliminate microorganisms

Francis Clarke and M. G. Foster

Patented the first electrical hearing aid in 1880

Clara Barton

Founded the American Red Cross in 1881

Robert Koch

Father of Microbiology; developed culture plate method, isolated tuberculosis bacteria in 1882

Louis Pasteur

Made significant contributions to medicine including germ theory, pasteurization, and rabies vaccine in 1885

Gregory Mendel

Established principles of heredity and dominant/recessive patterns

Dimitri Ivanofski

Discovered viruses in 1892

Lillian Wald

Established the Henry Street Settlement in New York City in 1893, marking the start of public health nursing

Dr. Emile Roux

Developed a vaccine for diphtheria in 1894

Wilhelm Roentgen

Discovered X-rays (roentgenograms) in 1895

Almroth Wright

Developed a vaccine for typhoid fever in 1897

Bayer

Introduced aspirin in powdered form in 1899

Bacteria causing..

Gonorrhea and leprosy were discovered and identified

Average life span

Was 40 to 60 years during this historical period