April 12 in Medical History
29 entries: discoveries, epidemics, drugs and the people who shaped medicine.
Events
- First US law requiring medical tests for marriage licenses in New York
- The polio vaccine, developed by Dr. Jonas Salk, is declared safe and effective.
- Rocker Jan Berry crashes his Corvette into a parked truck, an accident which leaves him with long-lasting health issues
- Sports HistoryCanadian one-legged distance runner Terry Fox begins his "Marathon of Hope" attempt to cross the country at St. John's, Newfoundland
- Harvard University patents a genetically engineered mouse (first for animal life)
- The new drug, ABT-450, with a 90-95% success rate for treating Hepatitis C, is announced
- Easter MessagePope Francis calls for the world to be united in the face of COVID-19 as he delivers his Easter message from an empty St Peter's Cathedral in Rome
- Great Britain loosens its COVID-19 restrictions, opening pubs and shops after 175 days, the world's longest period of restrictions
- Global COVID-19 known cases pass 500 million, with 5.1 billion (66%) having received at least one vaccine shot
- COVID-19 PandemicUK Prime Minister Boris Johnson apologies and is fined for attending parties during COVID-19 lockdown - first premier to be sanctioned for breaking the law
- Ghana is the first country to approve a new vaccine for malaria, Mosquirix (RTS,S), developed at Oxford University. It is the first major vaccine approved first in Africa.
Born on this day
- Martin ListerEnglish naturalist and physician (died 1712)
- William CookworthyEnglish chemist, born in Kingsbridge, Devon (d. 1780)
- Lyman HallAmerican physician and signer (Declaration of Independence), born in Wallingford, Connecticut (d. 1790)
- John Shaw BillingsAmerican librarian and surgeon, born in Allensville, Switzerland County, Indiana (d. 1913)
- Otto MeyerhofGerman psychologist and biochemist (Nobel 1922), born in Hannover, Germany (d. 1951)
- Peter SafarAustrian physician (pioneered cardiopulmonary resuscitation or CPR), born in Vienna, Austria (d. 2003)
- James HillmanAmerican psychologist, and educator (C.G. Jung Institute, Zurich), born in Atlantic City, New Jersey (d. 2011)
- Wendy SavageBritish obstetrician and gynaecologist, born in Surrey, England
- Lee Jong-wookKorean Director-General of the World Health Organization, born in Seoul, South Korea (d. 2006)
- Roy M. AndersonEnglish epidemiologist, zoologist, and academic
Died on this day
- Clara BartonAmerican nurse and founder of the American Red Cross, dies of tuberculosis at 90 (1821-1912)
- Christian Frederik LeipoldtSouth African poet, writer (Die Moormansgat) and physician, dies at 66
- Lionel LogueAustralian speech therapist who treated King George VI (The Kings Speech), dies at 73
- Archibald McIndoeNew Zealand plastic surgeon pioneer who rehabilitated badly burned Royal Air Force crew during WWII, dies in his sleep of a heart attack at 59 [or 11 April] (1900-1960)
- Ed LafitteAmerican baseball pitcher (no-hitter 1914 Brooklyn Tip-Tops), dies at 85
- George WaldAmerican physiologist and biologist (Nobel Prize 1967, vitamin A in retina), dies at 90 (1906-1997)
- Moran CampbellCanadian physician and academic, invented the venturi mask (born 1925)
- Patrick Hillery6th President of Ireland (1976-90), EEC Commissioner and Irish Minister, dies at 84