Today in Medical History

January 26 in Medical History

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

Events

3
  1. 1875Electric dental drill is patented by George F GreenSurgery / Procedure / DeviceOnThisDay
  2. 19611st Female Presidential PhysicianJanet G. Travell is 1st woman named as personal physician to a US President ( John F. Kennedy )Healthcare institution / ProfessionOnThisDay
  3. 2009Nadya Suleman gives birth to the world's first surviving octuplets.Surgery / Procedure / DeviceWikipedia

Born on this day

11
  1. 1876Julius H. HessAmerican physician who is often considered the father of American neonatology (Michael Reese Hospital, Chicago), born in Ottawa, Illinois (d. 1955)Physician / SurgeonOnThisDay
  2. 1887Enrique EckerCuracao-American bacteriologist (Rees-Ecker method for platelet counting), born in Willemstad, Curaçao (d. 1966)Medical scientistOnThisDay
  3. 1891Wilder PenfieldAmerican-born Canadian neurosurgeon, born in Spokane, Washington (1891-1976)Physician / SurgeonWikipedia
  4. 1904Ancel KeysAmerican nutritionist and physiologist who established connection between diet and heart disease and strokes, born in Colorado Springs (d. 2004)Medical scientistWikipedia
  5. 1907Hans SelyeAustrian-Canadian endocrinologist, born in Vienna, Austria-Hungary (d. 1982)Physician / SurgeonOnThisDay
  6. 1916Lothar JenschGerman medical doctor, and composer, born in Höchst, Germany (d. 2004)Physician / SurgeonOnThisDay
  7. 1922Seán FlanaganIrish footballer and politician, 7th Irish Minister for Health (died 1993)Health leader / ActivistWikipedia
  8. 1943Jean Knight [Caliste]American soul, funk, and R&B singer ("Mr. Big Stuff"), and nurse, born in New Orleans, Louisiana (d. 2023)Nurse / MidwifeOnThisDay
  9. 1949Paul NurseEnglish geneticist (Imperial Cancer Research Fund), born in Norwich, United KingdomMedical scientistOnThisDay
  10. 1951Anne MillsEnglish economist and academicHealth leader / ActivistWikipedia
  11. 1986Kizzmekia CorbettAmerican viral immunologist (US Vaccine Research Center, developed the Moderna COVID vaccine), born in Hurdle Mills, North CarolinaMedical scientistOnThisDay

Died on this day

7
  1. 1823Edward JennerEnglish physician , father of (western) immunology, pioneered smallpox vaccinations, dies of a stroke at 73 (1749-1823)Physician / SurgeonWikipedia
  2. 1849Thomas Lovell BeddoesEnglish poet (Death's Jest-Book), commits suicide at 45Physician / SurgeonWikipedia
  3. 1878Ernst Heinrich WeberGerman anatomist and physiologist (one of the founders of experimental psychology), dies at 82Medical scientistOnThisDay
  4. 1885Edward DavyEnglish-Australian physician, chemist, and inventor (electric relay), dies at 78Physician / SurgeonWikipedia
  5. 1887Anandi Gopal Joshione of the first female Indian physicians (born 1865)Physician / SurgeonWikipedia
  6. 1948Fred Conrad KochAmerican biochemist and endocrinologist (born 1876)Medical scientistWikipedia
  7. 2013Hiroshi NakajimaJapanese physician and medical researcher (WHO Director-General, 1988-98), dies at 84Health leader / ActivistOnThisDay

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.