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Antibiotics -

Scottish scientist Alexander Fleming made the initial discovery of penicillin in 1928. Further antibiotic discoveries were made in the '40s, but it was in the '60s when its medical development really took off.

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Vaccination -

The development of vaccines against several infectious diseases, including smallpox and polio, has resulted in a major shift towards disease prevention. Their high effectiveness, capacity for rapid development, and low production costs were evident during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Imaging -

CT and MRI scanning revolutionized the way in which the body can be scanned in order to detect diseases like cancer. In 1980, the University of Aberdeen conducted the first clinical whole-body MRI scan in the world.

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Tuberculosis (TB) treatment -

Known as the "Edinburgh method" of combined therapy, it was first developed in the '50s by John Crofton. It has been recognized as the most important treatment for TB.

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Angioplasty -

Angioplasty is a surgical technique that widens a narrowed or blocked artery in the heart. It has been instrumental in improving the life expectancy and quality of life of people suffering from coronary heart disease.

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Antiretroviral therapy (ART) for HIV -

First available in 1996, ART is treatment that consists of a combination of drugs that suppress HIV replication. It has saved the lives of most patients.

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Medical thermometer -

In 1714, Gabriel Fahrenheit first invented the mercury thermometer. The idea was based on the principle that a liquid’s density changes with respect to its temperature. However, digital thermometers are now more in use due to the poisonous nature of mercury.

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Statins -

Statins are cholesterol-lowering drugs, which are now used extensively in the prevention of heart diseases. They have significantly reduced death rates as a result of heart disease.

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Kidney dialysis -

Kidney dialysis provides artificial replacement for loss of kidney function, which would prove fatal if not treated. It's often used to maintain kidney function until a transplant can take place.

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Prosthetics -

The invention of the prosthesis was a major breakthrough, enabling the physically handicapped to be less limited to wheelchair and crutches. This has given them more flexibility and mobility.

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Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors -

ACE inhibitors are drugs used to treat high blood pressure, heart problems, and kidney disease. Their use has greatly improved the quality of life for people with heart failure.

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Laparoscopic and endoscopic surgery -

While an endoscopy examines the digestive tract, laparoscopy is performed to examine and have a good view of the inside of the abdominal area. Both techniques have revolutionized treatment and safety for patients.

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Treatment for stomach ulcers -

In 1988, Scottish scientist James Black won the Nobel Prize for Medicine for developing effective drug treatments for stomach ulcers. This became a safer alternative over risky surgery.

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Anesthesia -

Before the first use of a general anesthetic in the mid-19th century, surgery was only the last resort, with patients often preferring death. Since then, anesthesia has been developed, allowing people to have life-saving and painless operations.

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Kidney transplantation -

A kidney transplant is a surgery where a healthy kidney, from a living or deceased donor, is placed inside the body of someone whose kidney no longer functions.

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Beta blockers -

Beta blockers reduce the effects of adrenaline on the heart and are used to treat high blood pressure. Beta blockers usually come as tablets.

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Inhaled therapy -

Inhaled therapy is when medication is administered into the lungs via an inhaler. It's used to alleviate chronic forms of respiratory disease, including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and asthma.

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Liver transplantation -

For people with liver disease, it was once inconceivable to get a healthy replacement. However, in 1963, the first liver transplant was performed in Denver, Colorado.

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Erythropoietin (EPO) -

Erythropoietin (EPO) is an artificial version of a hormone produced by the kidney that promotes the formation of red blood cells. It's used to treat anemia in patients with kidney disease, cancer, and other critical illness.

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Cardiac pacemaker -

Invented in 1926 by Australian scientists Mark C. Hill and Edgar H. Booth, the pacemaker is a small device that's placed in the chest to help control the heartbeat.

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Stethoscope -

Before its invention, doctors would listen to their patient's heartbeats by putting their ear to their chests. Of course, this wasn't a reliable method. So in 1816, French physician René Laënnec created a trumpet-shaped wooden tube that amplified sounds coming from the lungs and heart.

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Stem cell therapy -

Discovered in the late '70s, stem cell therapy promotes the repair response of diseased or injured tissue using stem cells or their derivatives. It's used to treat leukemia and other blood disorders.

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Defibrillation -

Defibrillation is a treatment for life-threatening cardiac arrhythmia, which delivers a dose of electric current to the heart. Today, defibrillators save millions of lives from the brink of death around the world.

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Immunotherapy -

Immunotherapy is a treatment that stimulates the immune system to fight off a disease. First experimented with in the 1890s, it was only really developed in the 1970s. Immunotherapy is mainly used for cancer treatment.

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X-ray imaging -

X-rays were discovered by accident when German physicist Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen was studying electric currents passing through gas in low pressure. He won the first-ever Nobel Prize in Physics in 1901 for his discovery.

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Hypodermic needle -

The modern hypodermic needle was invented in 1853 by Scottish doctor Alexander Wood. They're used for delivering correct drug dosage in treatment, and for extracting body fluids with minimal pain and contamination.

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Glasses -

While there is no significant evidence as to when glasses were invented, scholars and monks used an early prototype centuries ago. However, in the late 1800s, there was an increase of printed books, which lead to many cases of myopia. This resulted in the introduction of glasses to the masses.

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Germ theory -

Before germ theory came out in 1861, physicians believed that disease could appear out of thin air, rather than being airborne or transferred via skin-to-skin contact. This changed when French microbiologist Louis Pasteur proved that infectious disease was a result of an invasion of specific microscopic organisms into living hosts.

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Disposable catheters -

Invented in the '40s, modern disposable catheters are used on people who are impaired from naturally emptying their bladders.

Sources: (Interesting Engineering) (Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh)

See also: Health mistakes you didn't know you're making  

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