Nov 6, 2025 | Surgery & The Knife
There are few figures in medical history as troubled as William Halsted, a man who has been referred to as “the most innovative and influential surgeon the United States has produced” and also the “father of modern surgery”. He was one of the greatest surgeons of his...
Aug 14, 2025 | Discoveries & Breakthroughs
On January 29th, 1951, a young African-American woman named Henrietta Lacks presented to the Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore. She had been experiencing discomfort in her abdomen, which she described as a “knot” in her womb. Four and a half months earlier, she had...
Oct 17, 2024 | Plagues & Pathogens
Thanks to modern childhood vaccination programs, diphtheria is now a rare illness in Western Europe and the United States. It is still common, however, in developing countries where vaccination rates are low. It is a terrifying illness caused by the airborne bacterium...
Dec 19, 2022 | Discoveries & Breakthroughs
What on earth do pregnancy tests have to do with frogs, you might be asking? Nowadays, it is a very straightforward task to do a home pregnancy test. Anyone can simply walk into a chemist and buy one over the counter. They are simple to use, can be done at home, and...
Sep 21, 2021 | Surgery & The Knife
In 1540, Henry VIII declared that “No carpenter, smith, weaver, or woman shall practice surgery.” Fortunately, things have changed quite considerably in the past 480 years, and there are now countless incredible women around the world working as surgeons. Female role...
