John Shaw Billings, MD, assigned to supervise the Surgeon General’s Library
In 1865, John Shaw Billings, MD, 27-year-old lieutenant colonel, pathologist and bibliophile, assigned to supervise the Surgeon General’s…
William Worrall Mayo opened a medical practice in Rochester, Minnesota
On Jan. 27, 1864, William Worrall Mayo opened a medical practice in Rochester, Minnesota Today, the Mayo Clinic,…
Corvallis academy (Oregon State University) was established
On Jan. 20, 1856, Corvallis academy (Oregon State University) was founded and maintained by the Methodist Episcopal Church,…
Dr. Charles E Brown-Sequard at Medical College of Virginia conducted research on endocrinology
In 1855, Dr. Charles E. Brown-Sequard at Medical College of Virginia conducted research in the basement of the…
Florence Nightingale became known as “The Lady of the Lamp” for healing British soldiers in the Crimean War
On Nov. 4, 1854, pioneering British nurse Florence Nightingale brought a team of women nurses to the Crimean…
The first marine hospital in San Francisco was completed with special funds appropriated by Congress
In 1853, the first marine hospital in San Francisco was completed with special funds appropriated by Congress. The…
The American Pharmaceutical Association (APhA) was founded
On Oct. 6, 1852, the American Pharmaceutical Association (APhA) was founded in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In the fall of…
The Illinois General Hospital incorporated as Mercy Hospital and Orphan Asylum
In 1852, The Illinois General Hospital incorporated as Mercy Hospital and Orphan Asylum, and the County sent its…
The University of Deseret (University of Utah) was founded
On Feb 28, 1850, the University of Deseret (University of Utah) was founded with classes beginning at the…
The Female Medical College of Pennsylvania was founded
In 1850, the Female Medical College of Pennsylvania, later known as the Woman’s Medical College of Pennsylvania was…
Surgeon Joseph Lister (Listerine) began the practice of antisepsis
In 1850, surgeon Joseph Lister began the practice of antisepsis, and who was later immortalized in the trade…
The first international sanitary conference was held in Paris, France
In 1850, the first international sanitary conference is held in Paris, France with a goal of making quarantines…
Elizabeth Blackwell became the first woman in the U.S. with a medical degree
On Jan. 3, 1849, Elizabeth Blackwell received her M.D. degree from the Medical Institution of Geneva, N.Y., and…
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The American Association for the Advancement of Science was founded
On Sept. 20, 1848, the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) was founded which marked the…
Nelson Dewey, Wisconsin’s first governor, signed the act that formally created the University of Wisconsin-Madison
On Jul. 26, 1848, Nelson Dewey, Wisconsin’s first governor, signed the act that formally created the University of…
The New England Female Medical College was founded
In 1848, the New England Female Medical College was founded, becoming the first institution in the U.S. to…
James Moultrie, Jr, MD helped found the American Medical Association
In 1847, James Moultrie, Jr., M.D. (Dean, School of Medicine of the Medical College of the State of…
John Collins Warren provided the first public demonstration of anesthesia in surgery
On Oct. 16, 1846, Harvard Medical School’s first dean, Dr. John Collins Warren, provided the first public demonstration…
Ignaz Semmelweis discovered puerperal fever could be reduced with chlorine solution hand washing
In 1846, Ignaz Philipp Semmelweis, known as the ‘Savior of Mothers,’ discovered that cases of puerperal fever, also…
Lewis Caleb Beck’s “Adulteration of Various Substances Used in Medicine and the Arts” was published
In 1846, Lewis Caleb Beck’s published “Adulteration of Various Substances Used in Medicine and the Arts,” one of…
The first description of allergies was published
On Mar. 16, 1844, John Bostock, Jr., an English physician, published the first description of allergies in Medico-Chirurgical…
The Hampden-Sydney College medical department moved into its first permanent home, the Egyptian Building
In 1844, The Medical Department of Hampden-Sydney College moved into its first permanent home, the Egyptian Building.
Ether used as surgical anesthetic for the first time
On Mar. 30, 1842, Dr. Crawford Long, an American physician and pharmacist in Jefferson, Georgia, used ether for…
Tornado struck Rochester and the Sisters of Saint Francis proposed building a hospital
In 1840, After a devastating tornado ripped through Rochester, Mother Alfred Moes and the Sisters of Saint Francis…
The University of Missouri was founded
In 1839, the University of Missouri was founded after the Missouri legislature passed the Geyer Act, legislation that…
Two medical colleges merged into the Medical College of the State of South Carolina
In 1839, two medical colleges merged into the the Medical College of the State of South Carolina. In…
Dr. James McCune Smith became the first African American to hold a medical degree
In 1837, Dr. James McCune Smith became the first African American to hold a medical degree. Smith, a…
The Library of the Office of the Surgeon General of the Army was established
In 1836, The Library of the Office of the Surgeon General of the Army (the present U.S. National…
Wake Forest Manual Labor Institute was founded
In 1834, The Wake Forest Manual Labor Institute was founded in Wake Forest. It was rechartered as Wake…
First enzyme was discovered and isolated
In 1833, the first enzyme was discovered and isolated by French chemist Anselme Payen also known for discovering…