Today in Medical History

July 2 in Medical History

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

Events

9
  1. 1987KC Royals outfielder Jim Eisenreich hits 1st HR since 1982, in MLB comeback process, retired 1984 (Tourette syndrome)Notable person's healthOnThisDay
  2. 1993John Paul II HospitalizedPope John Paul II is hospitalized for tests and a CT ScanNotable person's healthOnThisDay
  3. 2001Surgeons at Jewish Hospital in Louisville, Kentucky, implant the first AbioCor self-contained artificial heart in 59-year-old Robert ToolsSurgery / Procedure / DeviceOnThisDay
  4. 2012GlaxoSmithKline settles the largest healthcare fraud case in history for US$3 BillionDrug / VaccineOnThisDay
  5. 2017World Health Organization declares Ebola outbreak in Democratic Republic of Congo over (4 deaths)Disease / EpidemicOnThisDay
  6. 2020Texas Governor Greg Abbott makes wearing face masks mandatory as cases of coronavirus soar in the statePublic health / PolicyOnThisDay
  7. 2021India's known COVID-19 death toll passes 400,000 with 30.45 million cases, amid expert speculation that over one million have diedDisease / EpidemicOnThisDay
  8. 2022Earliest evidence for the use of opium from 14th century BCE found in burials at Tel Yehud, ancient Canaan (now Israel)Discovery / ResearchOnThisDay
  9. 2022The more contagious COVID-19 omicron subvariant BA.5 achieves dominance in the US, making up 54% of cases according to the CDCDisease / EpidemicOnThisDay

Born on this day

7
  1. 1821Charles Tupper6th Prime Minister of Canada (Conservative: 69-day term in 1896), born in Amherst, Nova Scotia (1821-1915)Physician / SurgeonWikipedia
  2. 1884Alfons Maria JakobGerman neurologist, born in Aschaffenburg, Bavaria (d. 1931)Physician / SurgeonWikipedia
  3. 1888Selman WaksmanUkrainian-American microbiologist (Nobel 1951-ingenious, systematic and successful studies of the soil microbes that led to the discovery of streptomycin), born in Nova Pryluka, Kiev Governorate, Russian Empire (d. 1973)Medical scientistOnThisDay
  4. 1928Line Renaud [Jacqueline Ente]French pop and cabaret singer, actress, and AIDS activist, born in Pont-de-Nieppe, FranceHealth leader / ActivistOnThisDay
  5. 1938David OwenEnglish physician and politician, Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth AffairsPhysician / SurgeonWikipedia
  6. 1946Richard AxelAmerican scientist, 2004 Nobel Prize for Medicine or Physiology for odorant receptor discoveries, born in New York CityMedical scientistWikipedia
  7. 1947Elizabeth AnionwuEnglish-Nigerian nurse and lecturer (pioneer in sickle cell treatment), born in Birmingham, EnglandNurse / MidwifeOnThisDay

Died on this day

8
  1. 1566NostradamusFrench astrologist and prophet (Les Propheties), dies at 62 (1503-1566)Dentist / Pharmacist / AlliedWikipedia
  2. 1843Samuel HahnemannGerman physician, originator of homeopathy, dies at 88Physician / SurgeonWikipedia
  3. 1897John EvansAmerican physician, railroad promoter, founder of Mercy Hospital (Chicago), Northwestern University, and University of Denver, and politician (Territorial Governor of Colorado, 1862-65) who was implicated in the Sand Creek Massacre of Cheyenne Indians, dies at 83Health leader / ActivistOnThisDay
  4. 1926Emile CouéFrench pharmacist (recovery by auto suggestion), dies at 69Psychiatry / PsychologyWikipedia
  5. 1951Ernst Ferdinand SauerbruchGerman Nazi surgeon, dies at 75Physician / SurgeonOnThisDay
  6. 1996Hugh DavsonEnglish physiologist (protein sandwich model), dies at 86Medical scientistOnThisDay
  7. 2014Emilio Álvarez MontalvánNicaraguan ophthalmologist and politician (born 1919)Physician / SurgeonWikipedia
  8. 2025Anna OrnsteinHungarian-American Holocaust survivor and psychoanalyst (Survival and Recovery), dies at 98Psychiatry / PsychologyOnThisDay

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.