Healthcare Heroes - History of Healthcare

Vocabulary flashcards covering key figures, discoveries, and medical milestones from Unit 2 - History of Healthcare.

Joseph Lister

Used disinfectants and antiseptics during surgery to prevent infection.

Louis Pasteur

Known as the "germ killer"; originated the process of pasteurization of milk to kill bacteria and developed the Germ Theory.

Anton van Leeuwenhoek

Invented the microscope.

Florence Nightingale

Founder of modern nursing; helped at a military hospital during the Crimean War.

Rene Laennec

Invented the Stethoscope.

Clara Barton

Formed the American Red Cross in 1881; served as a nurse during the Civil War.

Ben Carson

Performed the first successful conjoined twins separation.

Gregor Mendel

Discovered the basic principles of heredity and genetics (Mendelism).

Edward Jenner

Known as the "Father of Immunology"; pioneered the concept of vaccinations and created the smallpox vaccine from cowpox.

Hippocrates

Ancient Greek physician known as the "Father of Medicine"; credited with writing the code of ethics known as the Hippocratic Oath.

Joseph Murray

Performed the first kidney transplant on a non-related patient using immunosuppressive therapy.

Frederick Hopkins

Discovered essential nutrient factors (Vitamins).

William Kouwenhoven

Known as the "Father of CPR"; pioneered understanding electricity and the heart (defibrillation).

William Harvey

First to recognize and describe full circulation of the blood in the human body.

Wilhelm Conrad Rontgen

Discovered X-rays while experimenting with cathode rays.

Watson and Crick

James Watson and Francis Crick discovered the molecular structure of DNA (double helix model).

Frederick Banting

One of the first to extract insulin from the pancreas (first done in dogs).

Alexander Flemming

Discovered Penicillin.

James Lind

Cured scurvy with the use of Vitamin C from citrus fruits (addressing Vitamin C deficiency).

Henry Judah Heimlich

Invented the Heimlich valve during the Vietnam War and the Heimlich maneuver which helps choking victims.

William Morton

Dental surgeon who gave the first successful public demonstration of ether anesthesia during surgery.

James Blundell

Performed the first successful blood transfusion in humans.

Karl Landsteiner

Classified blood into 4 groups and discovered that red blood cells can clump/clot when different blood types are mixed.

Elizabeth Blackwell

First woman to receive a medical degree; founded the NY Infirmary for women and children.

Robert Jarvik

Invented the first implantable artificial heart.

Godfrey Hounsfield

Invented the computed axial tomography (CAT) scan.

Ignaz Semmelweis

Discovered the cause of childbed fever (sepsis) and introduced antisepsis to medicine.

Marie Curie

Pioneered the research of radioactivity; discovered radium and polonium.

Robert Gallo and Luc Montagnier

Discovered the cause of the Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) virus (HIV).

Sir Humphry Davy

Discovered the effects of Nitrous Oxide.

Horace Wells

Pioneered the use of surgical anesthesia (nitrous oxide).