Today in Medical History

May 29 in Medical History

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

Events

11
  1. 1692Royal Hospital Chelsea Founder's Day first celebrated in LondonHealthcare institution / ProfessionOnThisDay
  2. 1700First mastectomy performed in North America at Hôtel-Dieu de Québec by royal doctor Michel Sarrazin on Sister Marie Barbier de l’Assomption (operation is successful)Surgery / Procedure / DeviceOnThisDay
  3. 1861Dix Aids Union HospitalsDorothea Dix offers help in setting up hospitals for the Union ArmyHealthcare institution / ProfessionOnThisDay
  4. 1886Pemberton Advertises Coca-ColaAmerican pharmacist John Pemberton begins advertising his patented medicine, Coca-Cola, in Atlanta, GeorgiaDrug / VaccineOnThisDay
  5. 1970Soviet dissident Zhores Medvedev is arrested and taken to a psychiatric hospital in Kaluga sparking protestsMental healthOnThisDay
  6. 1985Amputee Steve Fonyo completes cross-Canada marathon at Victoria, British Columbia, after 14 monthsHealthcare institution / ProfessionWikipedia
  7. 2015Heat wave in India centered in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh states is reported to have killed 1,800 people in a weekPublic health / PolicyOnThisDay
  8. 2018Death toll on Puerto Rico 70 times higher than official figure, likely 4,600 died from Hurricane Maria according to Harvard University studyPublic health / PolicyOnThisDay
  9. 2018Heatwave in Karachi, Pakistan, kills 65 as temperatures soar above 110 degrees FahrenheitPublic health / PolicyOnThisDay
  10. 2019Transgender no longer classified as a mental health illness by the World Health OrganizationMental healthOnThisDay
  11. 2019World's smallest surviving baby, a girl, discharged from Sharp March Birch Hospital in San Diego after being born at 23 weeks weighing 8.6 ounces (245 grams)Discovery / ResearchOnThisDay

Born on this day

6
  1. 1780Henri BraconnotFrench chemist and pharmacist (died 1855)Dentist / Pharmacist / AlliedWikipedia
  2. 1904Robert KnoxBritish bacteriologist known for his contributions to antibiotic therapy, born in England (d. 2000)Medical scientistOnThisDay
  3. 1913Douglas BlackScottish physician and medical scientist (played a key role in the development of the National Health Service), born in Delting, Shetland (d. 2002)Physician / SurgeonOnThisDay
  4. 1919Jacques GenestCanadian physician and academic (died 2018)Physician / SurgeonWikipedia
  5. 1927Jean CoutuCanadian pharmacist and businessman, founded the Jean Coutu GroupDentist / Pharmacist / AlliedWikipedia
  6. 1948Keith GullEnglish microbiologist and academicMedical scientistWikipedia

Died on this day

4
  1. 2004Gordon WolstenholmeBritish physician (Ciba Foundation), dies at 91Physician / SurgeonOnThisDay
  2. 2005Hamilton NakiSouth African surgeon (born 1926)Physician / SurgeonWikipedia
  3. 2013Henekh "Henry" MorgentalerPolish-Canadian gynecologist, abortion rights advocate, and Holocaust survivor, dies at 90Physician / SurgeonWikipedia
  4. 2013Ludwig G. StraussGerman physician and academic (born 1949)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.