Medical History - Contributions

Edward Jenner

Developed a vaccination for smallpox in 1796

Robert Koch

Developed culture plate method to identify pathogens. Isolated bacterium that caused tuberculosis.

Jonas Salk + Albert Sabin

Discovered Polio vaccine. Saved many people from this virus that paralyzed thousands of adults and children each year.

Sir Alexander Fleming

Discovered penicillin in 1928 which is considered one of the most important discoveries of the 20th century.

Wilhelm Roentgen

Discovered roentgenograms (X-Rays) in 1895. Let doctors see inside the body. X-rayed wife's hand.

Sigmund Freud

Discovered the conscious and unconscious part of the mind. His studies were the basis of psychology and psychiatry.

Francis Crick + James Watson

Discovered the structure of DNA and how it carries genetic information in 1953. Built a 3D model of the molecules of DNA. Shared the Nobel Prize in 1962.

Ben Carson

Famous for his surgeries to separate Siamese twins. Currently Director of Pediatric Neurosurgery at John Hopkins. He has refined hemispherectomy, a surgery on the brain to stop seizures.

Elizabeth Blackwell

First female physician in USA in 1849.

Florence Nightingale

Founder of "Modern Nursing." Established efficient and sanitary nursing units during the Crimean War in 1954. Invented the call bell system and use of dumbwaiters to deliver meals. Began the professional education of nurses.

Hippocrates

Greek physician known as the "Father of Medicine." Authored code of conduct for doctors known as the "Hippocratic Oath" that is the basic of medical practice today. Believed illness was not caused by evil spirits and stressed importance of good diet, fresh air, cleanliness, and exercise.

Benjamin Franklin

Invented bifocals and found that colds could be passed from person to person.

Rene Laenac

Invented the first stethoscope in 1819. First stethoscope was made of wood.

Anton Van Leeuwenhoek

Invented the microscope lens that allowed visualization of organisms. Scraped his teeth and observed the bacteria that causes tooth decay.

Louis Pasteur

Known as the "Father of Microbiology." His Germ Theory proved that micro organisms caused disease. Proved that heat could destroy germs through a process called pasteurization. Creative rabies vaccine in 1885. Founded the basic rules for sterilization.

Christian Barnard

Performed first successful heart transplant in 1968.

Joseph Lister

Used carbolic acid on wounds to kill germs. First doctor to use antiseptic during surgery.

Clara Barton

Volunteer nurse for wounded soldiers during the Civil War. After Civil War, established a bureau of records to search for missing men. Campaigned for the USA to sign the Treaty of Geneva, which provided relief for sick and wounded soldiers. Formed American Red Cross in 1881 and served as its first president.