Contributions in the Medical Field

%%Medical Advancements - Renaissance%%

  • advancements in anatomy and physiology from dissection

invention of the printing press by Johannes Gutenburg allowed for wider outreach of information


%%Medical Advancements 16-18th Century%%

  • rise in apothecaries   * early pharmacies
  • larger hospitals built

Important People

Louis Pasteur
  • father of microbiology
  • germ theory that disproved spontaneous generation and that microorganisms cause disease
  • created a rabies vax
  • proved that heat can kill bacteria
Andreas Vesalius - Brussels
  • published the first accurate anatomy book
  • became interested in anatomy in Paris medical school
Zacharias Janssen - Hague
  • invented one of the earliest microscopes
Anton van Leeuwenhoek
  • invented lens for microscope
  • first to see bacteria and protozoa
Ben Franklin
  • developed bifocals and theorized that cods were contagious
John Hunter
  • refined surgical techniques such as the tracheostomy
  • completed studies in medicine but not a true doctor
Edward Jenner
  • developed the first vaccine after watching milkmaids who seemed to be resistant to smallpox by being in contact with cowpox

%%Medical Advancements - 19th Century%%

  • improved infection control due to better understanding of microorganisms
  • bloodletting became less painful due to spring-loaded lancets

Important People

Jospeh Lister
  • discovered carbolic acid which was then used as an antiseptic
  • helped with the rabies vax
  • performed the first wiring of a fractured patella
René Laennec
  • developed first stethoscope
  • hollow tube made of wood
Elizabeth Blackwell
  • first licensed female physician in US
Clara Barton
  • tended to soldiers during the civil war
  • campaigned for the treaty of Geneva
  • Founder of the American Red Cross and served as first president
Robert Koch
  • discovered bacterium that causes TB
  • received Nobel Peace Prize in physiology
Wilhelm Röntgen
  • discovered x-rays
Sigmund Freud
  • discovered conscious and unconscious mind
  • basis for modern day psychology and psychiatry
  • believed that memories and dreams were what motivated you
Florence Nightingale
  • Known as founder of modern nursing
  • established sanitary nursing units and invented call bells
  • opened a school for nursing

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