Health Aug 19 A Curious Inspiration for the First Stethoscope In a monthly column for PBS NewsHour, Dr. Howard Markel revisits moments that changed the course of modern medicine, like the invention of the stethoscope. Photo By BSIP/UIG via Getty Images. Long before Hippocrates (ca. 460-380 B.C.) taught his…
Health Jul 26 How ‘Going Under the Knife’ Became Much Less Deadly Dr. Howard Markel revisits moments that changed the course of modern medicine, like the advent of antiseptic surgery, in a monthly column on the PBS NewsHour. Photo by Philippe Huguen/AFP/Getty Images. Today, every patient reasonably expects that before going "under…
Health Jun 20 A Hormonal Happy Birthday The word "hormone" made its scientific debut 108 years ago today. Photo by Alija/Getty Images The word hormone has long been a familiar part of the English vernacular. It can refer to a wide variety of things from the life-saving…
Health May 14 The Day Doctors Began to Conquer Smallpox Sixteenth century Aztec drawing of smallpox victims. Photo from Wikimedia Commons. One of the most celebrated medical anniversaries concerns a country doctor named Edward Jenner (1749-1823) who lived in the tiny village of Berkeley in Gloucestershire, Great Britain. Like…
Health Apr 12 The Day Polio Began Losing Its Grip on America Elvis Presley receives the Salk polio vaccine in 1956. Awareness about the vaccine led to the end of polio in the U.S. Most babies today still receive the injection. Photo courtesy of March of Dimes. April 12, 1955, was…
Health Mar 29 How a Doctor Discovered U.S. Walls Were Poisonous In a monthly column on the PBS NewsHour website, Dr. Howard Markel revisits moments that changed the course of modern medicine. Above: A child with high levels of lead in her blood stands next to a peeling lead paint…
Health Feb 28 The Day Scientists Discovered the ‘Secret of Life’ Medical historian Dr. Howard Markel revisits moments that changed the course of modern medicine. The place: The Eagle, a genial pub and favorite luncheon spot for the staff, students and researchers working at the University of Cambridge's old…
Health Jan 11 How a Boy Became the First to Beat Back Diabetes In a regular column on the PBS NewsHour website, Dr. Howard Markel, director of the Center for the History of Medicine at the University of Michigan, will highlight the anniversary of a momentous event that continues to shape modern…
Health Dec 20 ‘I Have Seen My Death’: How the World Discovered the X-Ray An X-ray of a gunshot victim in Kyauk Taw, Myanmar. Photo by Kaung Htet/Getty Images. In a regular column on the PBS NewsHour website, Dr. Howard Markel, director of the Center for the History of Medicine at the…