Autism Jigsaw Symbol: Time for a change ?
The word Autism comes from Greek, for "self-directed". In-fact this new word was coined only in the year 1908 by a Psychiatrist Eugen Bleuler, to describe some patients who were…
Three implants to mend heart: Stent, Valve and a Defibrillator
Three implants for the heart have changed the outcomes of heart disease - namely stents, artificial valves, and an implantable defibrillator. Stents can now open a tiny blood vessel supplying…
Christiaan Barnard, and his heart transplants
Christiaan Barnard was made famous on 3rd December 1967, when he performed first human to human heart transplant in Cape Town, South Africa. He was just 45 when he performed…
Mayo clinic: The first modern group practice
William Worrall Mayo (WW Mayo), was born in England in 1819, studied chemistry and migrated to United States in 1845. He first worked as a pharmacist in New York, and…
Virginia Apgar, an accidental anesthetist
All medical students are taught Apgar score, a 10-point scale to grade a just-born as healthy or at risk. This has made Virginia Apgar quite immortal. She however was neither…
William Osler and origin of residency in medical training
Medical training is long. Across the globe, students enter the medical school for an initial generic training. When medical students complete this initial 4-5 years of training, they become doctors.…
The Rise and fall of Mass Miniature Radiography (MMR)
Around 1950s Mass miniature radiography or MMR was a cornerstone of public health screening for Tuberculosis. It was a mobile X-ray unit that roamed villages, towns and cities, photographing the…
McDowell performs first successful abdominal surgery: accolades and brickbats
In December of 1809, Ephraim McDowell performed an abdominal surgery, and successfully removed a large ovarian tumor. This was many decades before Anesthesia was invented, and at a time when…
Dog guides as friends for the visually challenged
Throughout history, dogs have stood by humans as hunters, herders, guardians, and loyal companions. But perhaps one of their most noble and transformative roles is that of the guide dog—a…
Malpighi and beyond: Italian legacy with a microscope
Malpighi and discovery of capillaries Marcello Malpighi, was born in Italy in the year 1628. It was the same year, when an English Physician William Harvey had discovered circulation of…