Today in Medical History

October 2 in Medical History

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

Events

7
  1. 1919Woodrow Wilson ParalyzedUS President Woodrow Wilson has a stroke, leaving him partially paralyzedNotable person's healthWikipedia
  2. 1961American medical drama series "Ben Casey," starring Vince Edwards and Sam Jaffe, premieres on ABC-TVMedicine in film/TV/sportOnThisDay
  3. 2001ScrubsAmerican sitcom "Scrubs," starring Zach Braff as Dr. "J.D." Dorian, premieres on NBCMedicine in film/TV/sportOnThisDay
  4. 2017US scientists Jeffrey C. Hall, Michael Rosbash, and Michael Young are awarded the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine for their work on the body clockDiscovery / ResearchOnThisDay
  5. 2020Trump Tests PositiveUS President Donald Trump announces via Twitter that he and First Lady Melania Trump have tested positive for COVID-19, and the President is hospitalized later that dayNotable person's healthOnThisDay
  6. 2023Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine awarded to Katalin Karikó and Drew Weissman for discoveries that enabled mRNA vaccine developmentDiscovery / ResearchOnThisDay
  7. 2023WHO approves a second vaccine for malaria that can be manufactured on a massive scale: R21, developed by the University of OxfordDrug / VaccineOnThisDay

Born on this day

6
  1. 1835Louis-Antoine RanvierFrench anatomist and historian, born in Lyon, France (d. 1922)Medical scientistOnThisDay
  2. 1889Margaret ChungChinese-American physician who was the first known Chinese-American woman to earn a medical degree, born in Santa Barbara, California (d. 1959)Physician / SurgeonOnThisDay
  3. 1907Alexander Robertus ToddBritish organic chemist (Nobel Prize 1957), born in Glasgow (d. 1997)Medical scientistWikipedia
  4. 1917Christian de DuveBritish cytologist and biochemist (Nobel 1974), born in Thames Ditton, Surrey (d. 2013)Medical scientistWikipedia
  5. 1920William CramondScottish psychiatrist and vice-chancellor (Stirling University), born in Aberdeen, Scotland (d. 2004)Psychiatry / PsychologyOnThisDay
  6. 1933John B. GurdonBritish developmental biologist (Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2012), born in Dippenhall, England (1933-2025)Medical scientistWikipedia

Died on this day

5
  1. 1564Andreas VesaliusFlemish physician and anatomist (De humani corporis fabrica), dies after being shipwrecked at 49 (1514-1564)Physician / SurgeonOnThisDay
  2. 1846Benjamin WaterhouseAmerican physician, co-founder of Harvard Medical School, and smallpox vaccine pioneer, dies at 92Physician / SurgeonOnThisDay
  3. 1987Peter MedawarBritish biologist (1960 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine "for discovery of acquired immunological tolerance"), dies at 72Medical scientistWikipedia
  4. 1997Reginald MurleyBritish surgeon and President of the Royal College of Surgeons (1977-80), dies at 81Physician / SurgeonOnThisDay
  5. 2025Manuel TrujilloSpanish trauma expert and director of psychiatry at Bellevue Hospital (1991-2008), dies of a stroke at 80Psychiatry / 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.