History

Timeline of Some Major Medical Breakthroughs

Ancient/Medieval Foundations (3300 BC–1499 AD)

• 3300 BC: Early herbal medicine practices emerge in India.
• 500 BC: Sushruta Samhita details early surgical techniques (lithotomy, rhinoplasty) in Ayurvedic medicine.
• 460 BC: Hippocrates establishes scientific medicine and the Hippocratic Oath.
• 130 AD: Galen advances anatomy, physiology, and pharmacology; becomes physician to Roman emperors.
• 910 AD: Al-Razi (Rhazes) distinguished smallpox from measles and proposes blood as a disease vector.
• 1010 AD: Avicenna writes The Canon of Medicine, a foundational medical encyclopedia.

Early Modern Era (1500–1799)

• 1543: Andreas Vesalius publishes De Fabrica, revolutionizing human anatomy.
• 1628: William Harvey describes blood circulation.
• 1670: Anton van Leeuwenhoek discovers blood cells and bacteria using refined microscopes.
• 1747: James Lind proves citrus fruits prevent scurvy.
• 1796: Edward Jenner developed the smallpox vaccine using cowpox.

19th Century: Germ Theory & Surgery Revolution

• 1846: William Morton demonstrates ether anesthesia for surgery.
• 1847: Ignaz Semmelweis reduces childbirth fever via handwashing.
• 1861: Louis Pasteur established germ theory, proving microbes cause disease.
• 1867: Joseph Lister introduced antiseptic surgery with carbolic acid.
• 1895: Wilhelm Röntgen discovers X-rays.
• 1899: Felix Hoffman synthesizes aspirin.

Early 20th Century (1900–1949)

• 1901: Karl Landsteiner identifies blood groups (ABO), enabling safe transfusions.
• 1921: Frederick Banting & Charles Best isolate insulin for diabetes treatment.
• 1928: Alexander Fleming discovers penicillin, the first antibiotic.
• 1937: First blood bank established by Bernard Fantus.
• 1943: Selman Waksman develops streptomycin for tuberculosis.

During (1950–1979)

• 1952: Paul Zoll invents the cardiac pacemaker .
• 1953: James Watson & Francis Crick describe DNA structure.
• 1954: Joseph Murray performs first successful kidney transplant.
• 1960: First implantable pacemaker (Beth Israel Hospital).
• 1967: Christiaan Barnard conducts first human heart transplant.
• 1970s: Stem cell therapy pioneered using human cord blood.
• 1978: First test-tube baby born via IVF.

Late 20th Century–Present (1980–2025)

• 1980: Smallpox eradicated globally.
• 1983: HIV virus identified.
• 1984: Timothy Berners-Lee proposes the World Wide Web at CERN, revolutionizing medical data sharing.
• 1990: First gene therapy trial for immune deficiency.
• 2003: Human Genome Project completed, enabling personalized medicine.
• 2010s: mRNA vaccines developed, pivotal for COVID-19.
• 2020s: CRISPR gene editing enters clinical trials for genetic diseases.