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...
Jun 8, 2021 | Surgery & The Knife
Before the discovery of general anaesthesia in the mid 19th century, surgery was a horrific prospect with the patient fully conscious and suffering unspeakable agony and a significant risk of death. In this era, the speed with which the surgeon could before the...
Dec 27, 2020 | Medical Pioneers
In 2018, a Japanese Medical School made headline news because of its discrimination against female applicants. One cannot help but wonder what the remarkable Ogino Ginko would have thought of this if she were alive today to have seen this. Ogino Ginko is a name that...
Oct 2, 2020 | Medical Pioneers
Every year, approximately 85% of the world’s children receive vaccines protecting them against deadly diseases such as polio, diphtheria, tetanus and tuberculosis. It has been estimated that vaccines save 9 million lives globally per year, and they have the potential...
Jun 23, 2020 | Discoveries & Breakthroughs
In the 14 years or so that I worked as a doctor, I placed my lips on hers many thousands of times during resus training and teaching days. Resusci Annie has been called the most-kissed face in history, and it has been estimated that she has helped to save over 2...
Apr 13, 2020 | Medical Pioneers
In the centre of the city of Hamadan in Iran stands a monument to the Iranian national hero called Avicenna. The Mausoleum of Avicenna houses a library, a museum, and tower and pays tribute to arguably the most important philosophers and physicians in the history of...
