Today in Medical History

September 4 in Medical History

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

Events

12
  1. 1939Pioneering Plastic SurgerySurgeon Archibald McIndoe sets up a new Centre for Plastic and Jaw Surgery at Queen Victoria Hospital, East Grinstead, England, to treat injured airmenSurgery / Procedure / DeviceOnThisDay
  2. 1948Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands abdicates for health reasons.Notable person's healthWikipedia
  3. 1967Jerry Lewis 's 2nd Muscular Dystrophy telethon raises $1,126,846Healthcare institution / ProfessionOnThisDay
  4. 1972Lennon and Ono Telethon SetJohn Lennon and Yoko Ono perform three songs ("Imagine," "Now or Never," "Give Peace a Chance") at Jerry Lewis 's 7th annual Muscular Dystrophy telethon at the Americana Hotel, New York City, (raises $9,200,754)Healthcare institution / ProfessionOnThisDay
  5. 1978Jerry Lewis 's 13th annual Muscular Dystrophy telethon raises $29,074,405Healthcare institution / ProfessionOnThisDay
  6. 1989Jerry Lewis 's 24th annual Muscular Dystrophy telethon raises $42,737,219Healthcare institution / ProfessionOnThisDay
  7. 1995Jerry Lewis 's 30th annual Muscular Dystrophy telethon raises $47,827,221Healthcare institution / ProfessionOnThisDay
  8. 2009Jerry Lewis's 44th annual Muscular Dystrophy telethon raises $60,481,231Healthcare institution / ProfessionOnThisDay
  9. 2011Jerry Lewis's 46th annual Muscular Dystrophy telethon raises $61,491,393Healthcare institution / ProfessionOnThisDay
  10. 2012A "magic carpet" that can help prevent falls among the elderly by warning them of unusual footsteps is developed by researchers at the University of ManchesterDiscovery / ResearchOnThisDay
  11. 2018WHO reports that more than a quarter of people worldwide (1.4 billion) do not get enough physical exercise to avoid major diseasesPublic health / PolicyOnThisDay
  12. 2023Novo Nordisk, Danish manufacturer of weight-loss drug Wegovy, becomes Europe's most valuable company at $428 billion (£339 billion), overtaking France's LVMHDrug / VaccineOnThisDay

Born on this day

12
  1. 64Shinya Yamanaka1962 Japanese physician (Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine), born in Osaka, Japan (64 years old)Medical scientistOnThisDay
  2. 973Al-BiruniIranian mathematician, astronomer and polymath, born in Kath, Khwarezm, Afrighid dynasty (d. 1048) [some sources cite 5th as birth date]Physician / SurgeonWikipedia
  3. 1791Robert KnoxScottish surgeon and anatomist, born in Edinburgh, Scotland (d. 1862)Physician / SurgeonOnThisDay
  4. 1802Marcus WhitmanAmerican physician and missionary (Oregon Trail), born in Federal Hollow, New York (d. 1847)Physician / SurgeonOnThisDay
  5. 1904Max DelbrückGerman-American biologist and molecular geneticist (bacteriophage, Nobel Prize 1969), born in Berlin, Germany (d. 1981)Medical scientistOnThisDay
  6. 1909Eduard WirthsNazi physician at Auschwitz , born in Würzburg, Germany (1909-1945)Physician / SurgeonWikipedia
  7. 1913Stanford MooreAmerican biochemist (Nobel 1977), born in Chicago, Illinois (d. 1982)Medical scientistWikipedia
  8. 1931Antonios TrakatellisGreek biochemist and politicianMedical scientistWikipedia
  9. 1954Sanduk RuitNepalese ophthalmologist specializing in cataract surgery (Tilganga Institute of Ophthalmology), born in Olangchung Gola, NepalPhysician / SurgeonOnThisDay
  10. 1958Dr. Drew PinskyAmerican media personality, addiction medicine specialist, radio host (Loveline; 1984-2016), and television host (Dr. Drew On Call, Lifechangers, Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew), born in Pasadena, CaliforniaPhysician / SurgeonWikipedia
  11. 1959William Kennedy SmithAmerican physician and member of the Kennedy family (accused of rape in Florida, 1991), born in Brighton, MassachusettsPhysician / SurgeonOnThisDay
  12. 1962Shinya YamanakaJapanese physician and biologist, Nobel Prize laureateMedical scientistWikipedia

Died on this day

8
  1. 1965Albert SchweitzerGerman-French theologian and philosopher (Nobel Peace Prize 1954), dies at 90Physician / SurgeonWikipedia
  2. 1994Laurens van DeenenDutch biochemist, dies at 66Medical scientistOnThisDay
  3. 1997Hans EysenckGerman-born British psychologist (most frequently cited living psychologist), dies at 81Psychiatry / PsychologyOnThisDay
  4. 2004James O. PageAmerican paramedic (b. 1936)Dentist / Pharmacist / AlliedOnThisDay
  5. 2015Wilfred de SouzaIndian surgeon and politician, 7th Chief Minister of Goa (born 1927)Physician / SurgeonWikipedia
  6. 2018Christopher LawfordAmerican sobriety advocate, activist (World Health Organization, United Nations), author, actor (All My Children, 1992-95), and son of Patricia Kennedy and Peter Lawford, dies of a heart attack at 63Health leader / ActivistOnThisDay
  7. 2023Ferid MuradAmerican physician and pharmacologist (Nobel Prize for Medicine - 1998), dies at 86Medical scientistOnThisDay
  8. 2025Robert Jay LiftonAmerican psychiatrist and author (The Nazi Doctors: Medical Killing and the Psychology of Genocide; Death in Life: Survivors of Hiroshima), dies at 99Psychiatry / 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.