Greatest Medical Discoveries And Breakthroughs
Medical Miracles
Throughout history, there have been thousands of scientific breakthroughs that have extended the human lifespan and bettered our general health. Here are the five greatest discoveries and breakthroughs of all time to show you just how some medical breakthroughs have revolutionized the world in which we live. These medical discoveries have not only made our lives longer, but they have also helped to make our lives easier, less painful, and disease free.
5) X-ray
The discovery of the X-ray is one of the greatest diagnostic discoveries of all time. It allows us to see inside the human body, without having to perform dangerous surgeries. As well as seeing anomalies in the human body, x-rays have helped hugely in dentistry, allowing a dentist to spot cavities before they turn in to painful abscesses.
With the use of the x-ray in medicine, scientists have been able to find the cause of many diseases, and how to treat them.
4) Anesthetics
Anesthetics are easily one of the most important medical advances in surgical operations. By preventing pain during surgery, surgeons were given the ability to work in completely new ways with the human body, with a lower chance from complications such as shock.
With anesthetics, pain no longer became such a huge factor in operations. Not only did this reduce the risk of shock, but it also allowed for more complex and intricate surgical procedures.
3) Germ Theory
Germ theory allowed our scientist to find the major causes behind disease, and created a whole new understanding on why cleanliness was important, as opposed to the old practice of surrounding oneself with bad smells to ward off bad influences.
The discovery of germ theory helped bring about the knowledge of the importance of sanitation, and is one of the biggest factors in extending human life by prevention of disease.
Germ theory was actually discovered by a haberdasher named Anton Leeuwenhoek, who was also a janitor in his spare time. In the end, the discovery was made his examination of a raindrop under a microscope, in which he could see a myriad of tiny animals swimming around.
2) Penicillin
Germ theory might have been the discovery of bacteria, but the discovery of penicillin was the moment that the medical profession finally had a way to fight back against infections that would have once cost people their lives.
Penicillin became the starting point for a whole string of antibiotics, both broad and narrow spectrum. This new way of treatment meant that amputations were significantly reduced, gum infections could be treated, and infections of the blood were no longer fatal.
1) Vaccination
Edward Jenner faced great adversity when he announced his discovery of vaccination. However, the discovery of vaccination has helped to greatly reduce some of the world’s deadliest epidemics and diseases, from cholera, influenza and measles, to the bubonic plague.
Thanks to vaccination, we no longer have to deal with some of the world’s deadliest and most infectious diseases, which have plagued humankind for millennia.
All these discoveries have made significant progress for humankind, in health and lifespan, but who knows what we will invent in the future!
For more interesting articles on surgeries and much more please visit the Surgery section on GKHealth.
