Oct 30, 2018 | Medical Pioneers
The legendary Bian Que is considered to be the first true physician in China. He is credited as having developed traditional Chinese medicine and with several other notable achievements. The stories of his life have an almost mythical nature to them. His real name was...
Aug 16, 2017 | Medical Pioneers
The Royal College of Physicians is a U.K. based, internationally recognised, professional body that is dedicated to the improvement of medical practice and patient care. It is also the oldest royal medical college in the world. In 2006 I became a member of the Royal...
Mar 27, 2017 | Medical Pioneers
I have been fascinated with the detective Sherlock Holmes since childhood. His almost supernatural powers of observation and deduction in stories such as ‘The Sign of the Four’, ‘The Speckled Band’, and ‘A Study in Scarlet’ captivated me and I have re-read them many...
Dec 31, 2016 | Medical Pioneers
The Greek physician, Claudius Galen, is considered to be one of the most important figures in the history of Medicine. Galen was the greatest physician of his era and was also a skilled surgeon and renowned philosopher. He was responsible for numerous advances in the...
May 28, 2016 | Medical Pioneers
The ancient Egyptian civilisation was the first of the recorded great world civilisations. Little is known about the prehistoric societies that came before Egypt but it is assumed that they were steeped in superstition and that their ability to treat disease was...
Mar 28, 2016 | Medical Pioneers
I can vividly remember being taught how to ‘scrub up’ as a third-year medical student. The careful scrutiny of the theatre sister filled me with fear. Had I touched the wrong part of the scrub pack? Were my hands completely sterile? On more than one occasion I...
