Disease has always been a source of both terror and curiosity throughout history. Each groundbreaking medical breakthrough from studies completed by companies such as Clinical ink, on the other hand, has moved us one step closer to unraveling the complicated mysteries of disease and medicine. As a result, we’ve been able to create drugs and therapies that have helped millions of people live longer lives.
It’s clear to see how breakthroughs in health and medicine have impacted the lives of practically everyone on the planet, whether it’s the technology that allows us to gaze deep into the body or drugs that lengthen the lives of those with chronic diseases. Yet, given the pervasiveness of these advancements, it’s easy to see how many individuals take for granted the tools and behaviors that have very likely saved their own lives or the lives of those they care about at some time. The following is a list of five medical and health advancements that have transformed — and continue to impact — the world today.
1. Antibiotics
Modern medicine as we know it would be unrecognizable without antibiotics. Fleming began studying the features of the well-known Staphylococcus bacteria in 1928. One September morning, he walked into his cluttered lab to get to work and saw that one of his staph cultures had been overtaken by a fungus. Typically, such an occurrence would have resulted in the petri dish being discarded. This fungus, on the other hand, was unique. It was a Penicillium bacterium, and all of the staph colonies in the vicinity had died, but those further away were well. He termed the bacteria-killing compound it was secreting “mold juice” at first before settling on penicillin as the more formal moniker.
2. Germ Theory
The creation of the germ theory, which is the oldest medical achievement on our list, may be one of the most important. Humans did not comprehend how sickness and diseases propagated for the most part. There was no idea of germs, viruses, or bacteria. Any ailment or infection had a different explanation for the root cause. Many of these disorders were finally given a scientific explanation thanks to the germ hypothesis of disease. According to this view, many diseases are caused by living microbes and pathogens.
3. Vaccines
It’s impossible to pinpoint precisely when vaccines became commonplace, owing to the long and winding road to development. The usefulness and popularity of vaccinations developed swiftly after Edward Jenner’s attempt in 1796 to use injections to tame the dreaded smallpox virus. Various vaccinations were developed in the 1800s and early 1900s to combat some of the world’s deadliest diseases, including smallpox, rabies, tuberculosis, and cholera. Smallpox, one of the most deadly fatal illnesses known to man, was eradicated from the face of the earth over 200 years ago.
4. Anesthetic
Surgery used to be a far more dangerous prospect than now. One of the main reasons for this is that anesthetics were not available before the mid-nineteenth century. However, that changed on Oct. 16, 1846, when William T.G. Morton demonstrated the enigmatic marvel of ether, a substance capable of numbing the pain and misery connected with surgery.
5. Plastic Surgery
Plastic surgery may bring up thoughts of Hollywood actors & actresses enhancing their bodies. Still, Plastic Surgery was created and perfected for many more practical reasons. Aircraft and their crews were deployed in unprecedented numbers during World War II. The horrific burns experienced by several of the crew members when their planes were shot down, igniting the fuel, were also unparalleled. A New Zealand doctor, Archibald McIndoe, was one of those tasked with the onerous duty of treating those guys. He was assigned as a consulting plastic surgeon to the Royal Air Force in 1938, one of four in the fledgling field in the United Kingdom.
Humans have been hunting for the secret to having a longer life for as long as they can remember. While individuals continue to look for the fountain of youth, medical advancements have resulted in increased life expectancy. Many of these medical breakthroughs occurred in the last century and were significant advancements in medicine.