Today in Medical History

February 3 in Medical History

23 entries: discoveries, epidemics, drugs and the people who shaped medicine.

Observed today

1
  1. Christian feast day: — BlaiseHealth observanceWikipedia

Events

10
  1. 1743Philadelphia establishes a "pesthouse" to quarantine immigrantsDisease / EpidemicOnThisDay
  2. 1930Taft ResignsWilliam Howard Taft resigns as US chief justice for health reasonsNotable person's healthOnThisDay
  3. 1969Ibuprofen launches in the UK under the brand name Brufen as a prescription medicine, now the world's most popular anti-inflammatory painkillerDrug / VaccineOnThisDay
  4. 1984Doctor John Buster and a research team at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center in the United States announce history's first embryo transfer, from one woman to another resulting in a live birth.Surgery / Procedure / DeviceWikipedia
  5. 1988Nurses across the UK strike over pay and funding for the NHSHealthcare institution / ProfessionOnThisDay
  6. 1989After a stroke two weeks previously, South African President P. W. Botha resigns as leader of the National Party, but stays on as president for six more months.Notable person's healthWikipedia
  7. 1990Strawberry to RehabDarryl Strawberry voluntarily enters Smither Center for Alcohol rehabilitationMental healthOnThisDay
  8. 2020Cruise ship Diamond Princess with 3700 passengers quarantined in Yokohama port, Japan after cases of COVID-19 found on boardDisease / EpidemicOnThisDay
  9. 2022Austria brings into force its vaccine mandate for all, first country in Europe to do soPublic health / PolicyOnThisDay
  10. 2023Train carrying toxic chemicals including vinyl chloride, derails in East Palestine, Ohio, starting a fire and leading to an intentional burn off of chemicals to stop a possible explosionPublic health / PolicyOnThisDay

Born on this day

9
  1. 1757Joseph ForlenzeItalian ophthalmologist and surgeon (died 1833)Physician / SurgeonWikipedia
  2. 1777John CheyneScottish physician and author (died 1836)Physician / SurgeonWikipedia
  3. 1790Gideon MantellEnglish scientist (died 1852)Physician / SurgeonWikipedia
  4. 1820Elisha Kent KaneAmerican naval surgeon and Artic explorer (led expedition to Greenland discover fate of John Franklin), born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (d. 1857)Physician / SurgeonOnThisDay
  5. 1821Elizabeth BlackwellBritish-American physician who was the first woman to receive a medical degree in the United States, born in Bristol, England (1821-1910)Physician / SurgeonWikipedia
  6. 1887Georg TraklAustrian poet (Autumn of the Lonely), born in Salzburg, Austria (d. 1914)Dentist / Pharmacist / AlliedWikipedia
  7. 1892Juan NegrínSpanish physician and politician, 67th Prime Minister of Spain (died 1956)Physician / SurgeonWikipedia
  8. 1920Henry HeimlichAmerican surgeon and inventor of the Heimlich maneuver, born in Wilmington, Delaware (d. 2016)Physician / SurgeonWikipedia
  9. 1957Eric LanderAmerican mathematician, geneticist, and academicMedical scientistWikipedia

Died on this day

3
  1. 1832George CrabbeEnglish poet (Everlasting Mercy), dies at 77Physician / SurgeonWikipedia
  2. 1873Isaac Baker BrownEnglish gynecologist and surgeon (born 1811)Physician / SurgeonWikipedia
  3. 2012Andrzej SzczeklikPolish physician and academic (born 1938)Physician / SurgeonWikipedia

Sources: onthisday.com and Wikipedia's “On this day” (text under CC BY-SA 4.0), screened for medical relevance. Each entry links to its source.