There have been many medical discoveries throughout history that have helped scientists to understand disease and medicine, helping to save lives and shaping our future; many illnesses that were fatal in the past are now being cured.
Each ground-breaking medical discovery brings us one step closer to understanding the complex mysteries of the human body.
As a result, scientists have developed many breakthrough treatments that are responsible for saving millions of lives.
1. Artificial Intelligence
During the 21st century, artificial intelligence has created new technology that has changed the healthcare landscape. Life science companies have worked with tech giants including Apple, Google and IBM to create new ways of treating diseases and caring for patients.
Today, AI is used in healthcare for a broad range of applications, from diagnosing diseases to creating personalised treatment plans. It is also used for patient monitoring.
2. Anaesthesia
In 1846, the use of anaesthesia changed the face of the operating theatre forever. American dentist William TG Morton successfully used ether as an anaesthetic for the first time. Prior to this, surgery was excruciatingly painful and carried out only as a last resort.
Scientists believe experiments to use anaesthetics had been carried out as long ago as 4000 BC, but there were high risks. Morton made history with his new anaesthesia technique.
Soon after, chloroform, a faster-acting substance, was used. However, it was a high-risk substance, and a number of fatalities were reported in the early years.
Throughout the 19th century, physicians continued to develop safer anaesthetics, enabling them to carry out millions of pain-free, life-saving operations.
3. Germ theory
Before scientists understood the existence of germs, no-one really new how diseases spread. It was widely thought it was down to "spontaneous generation", meaning they simply appeared in the air.
Then, in 1861, the French microbiologist Louis Pasteur discovered "germ theory". He realised diseases could be caused by skin contact with an infected person, or by airborne bacteria. His experiments proved an infectious disease was caused by specific microscopic organisms. Also known as pathogens, they can spread into living hosts.
His ground-breaking theory was a turning point in the treatment, control and prevention of diseases. This helped to prevent the deadly epidemics that had claimed thousands of lives each year, including dysentery, typhoid fever and the plague.
4. Medical imaging
In 1895, the X-ray was invented by accident by German physicist Wilhelm Conrad Rӧntgen. He discovered the first medical imaging machine during his experiments with electric currents passing through glass cathode-ray tubes. His discovery transformed medicine very rapidly.
By 1896, Glasgow Hospital had opened the first radiology department in the world. In 1955, doctors began using ultrasound for medical diagnosis, with high-frequency soundwaves creating digital images to detect pre-natal conditions, pelvic issues and abdominal abnormalities.
The CT scanner was created in 1967 using X-rays and computers to diagnose different types of diseases. In 1973, Paul Lauterbur, an American chemist, produced the next significant medical imaging technology, the MRI scan, to detect life-threatening conditions such as tumours, brain damage, spinal cord injuries, cysts and liver and heart problems.
5. Antibiotics
The world's first antibiotic, penicillin, was invented by accident in 1928 by Scottish physician Alexander Fleming, revolutionising the battle against bacteria. He discovered the anti-bacterial mould by chance as it grew in a petri dish.
His incredible find wasn't fully appreciated until the 1940s, when US drug companies began to mass-produce antibiotics to use during World War II. Australian scientist Howard Florey and German scientist Ernst Chain, a refugee who escaped Nazi Germany, further developed the substance and began the mass distribution of penicillin.
Over the years, this has saved millions of lives. However, some bacteria today have become resistant to antibiotics, leading to demands that the pharmaceutical industry must develop new anti-bacterial treatments as a matter of urgency.
6. Organ Transplants
The first successful kidney transplant took place in 1954 in Boston, USA. Dr Joseph Murray and Dr David Hume made history when the recipient survived the organ transplant operation.
This was a revolutionary moment, as earlier attempts at organ transplants had been unsuccessful. However, after technical issues were overcome, the 1954 operation was a success.
The first lung transplant was carried out in 1963, followed by a kidney/pancreas transplant in 1966 and a liver and heart transplant in 1967.
7. Antiviral drugs
The 1960s was the decade when antiviral drugs were developed to treat viruses. While vaccines and antibiotics had helped to combat killer diseases such as smallpox and influenza, antivirals didn't take off until the '60s.
Antivirals are known for blocking the rapid reproduction of a viral infection. Today, some can even stimulate our immune system to attack a virus. This has been a significant development in treating deadly viruses such as Ebola, HIV/AIDS and rabies.
8. Stem Cell Therapy
In the 1970s, stem cell therapy was discovered. Stem cells are remarkable because they can renew themselves through the division of cells, even if they have been inactive. They can also be used to make any type of human cell under certain conditions.
The discovery had enormous potential, enabling stem cell therapy to be used to treat leukaemia and other blood disorders. It is also used in bone marrow transplants. Research is continuing today into how stem cells can treat spinal cord injuries and some neurological conditions such as strokes, Parkinson's and Alzheimer’s.
9. Immunotherapy
Immunotherapy stimulates our immune system to fight off diseases. While it was first used on a wide scale in the 1970s, the story of immunotherapy began in 1891.
US bone surgeon and cancer researcher William Bradley Coley injected streptococcal organisms into his patient to treat inoperable cancer. He believed it would shrink the malignant tumour and was proved correct. He treated more than 1,000 people with cancer using bacteria and bacterial products.
However, it wasn't until the 1970s that antibody therapies were widely developed. In 1991, the first cancer vaccine was developed by researchers and was finally approved by the FDA in 2010. During the past ten years, immuno-oncology has developed into one of the most revolutionary cancer treatments in the world.
10. Vaccines
The earliest recorded medical breakthrough occurred in 1796, when the first recognised vaccine was developed. Berkeley-born surgeon, physician and scientist Edward Jenner used inoculations to combat the deadly smallpox virus that was sweeping the nation. While developing vaccines has been a long and complex journey, Jenner's work is recognised as the trigger for this widely used preventative treatment.
During the 19th and 20th centuries, many vaccines were developed to treat deadly diseases such as tuberculosis, rabies and cholera. Over a period of around 200 years, vaccines have proved their worth, including wiping smallpox out.
For decades, almost all vaccines worked using the same concept that Jenner created. Then, MRNA technology came along, changing the future of healthcare. It has enabled effective vaccines to be developed rapidly, which became apparent during the Covid-19 pandemic. Two MRNA vaccines were approved for use in only a few months, helping to protect people against the potentially fatal virus.
Advances in PPE
All of the world's great medical advances over the years have been aided by developments in work wear and PPE - the Personal Protective Equipment that keeps workers safe from germs, hazardous materials and dangerous workplace conditions.
Today, employees in the care sector have more protection against the potential hazards of their job than ever before.
Researchers believe people have worn PPE at work since the eighth century BC, when the ancient Greek poem, Homer's Odyssey, described how a gardener wore gloves to protect his hands from thorns.
While PPE is worn in many different industries, it reaches a new level in the healthcare sector, where it is more robust and stringent. Gloves were first worn for patient examinations in the 1760s.
In the late 1840s, when Charles Goodyear patented "vulcanised rubber", medical grade gloves became more flexible. They were first worn to protect the hands of hospital workers at John's Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, Maryland, in the 1890s. Today, they are a staple of PPE at hospitals worldwide.
PPE not only protects healthcare workers, but it also provides a clean, hygienic and sterile environment for patient care.
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