Sep 27 The real story behind penicillin By Dr. Howard Markel The discovery of penicillin, one of the world’s first antibiotics, marks a true turning point in human history — when doctors finally had a tool that could completely cure their patients of deadly infectious diseases. Many school children can recite… Continue reading
Aug 19 A Curious Inspiration for the First Stethoscope By Dr. Howard Markel 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… Continue reading
Jul 26 How ‘Going Under the Knife’ Became Much Less Deadly By Dr. Howard Markel 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… Continue reading
Jun 20 A Hormonal Happy Birthday By Dr. Howard Markel 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… Continue reading
May 14 The Day Doctors Began to Conquer Smallpox By Dr. Howard Markel 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… Continue reading
Apr 12 The Day Polio Began Losing Its Grip on America By Dr. Howard Markel 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… Continue reading
Mar 29 How a Doctor Discovered U.S. Walls Were Poisonous By Dr. Howard Markel 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… Continue reading
Feb 28 The Day Scientists Discovered the ‘Secret of Life’ By Dr. Howard Markel 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… Continue reading
Jan 11 How a Boy Became the First to Beat Back Diabetes By Dr. Howard Markel 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… Continue reading
Dec 20 ‘I Have Seen My Death’: How the World Discovered the X-Ray By Dr. Howard Markel 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… Continue reading