{"id":3881,"date":"2018-06-30T11:42:07","date_gmt":"2018-06-30T11:42:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/schoolshistory.org.uk\/topics\/?page_id=3881"},"modified":"2026-04-23T15:56:07","modified_gmt":"2026-04-23T15:56:07","slug":"medical-science-a-timeline","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/schoolshistory.org.uk\/topics\/medical-science-a-timeline\/","title":{"rendered":"Medical Science: A Timeline"},"content":{"rendered":"

Timeline: Medical Science, technology and communications<\/strong><\/p>\n

This list is intended to provide a range of examples of the way that science, technology and communications have been linked to medicine over time. The list will be updated as I teach different periods of the course to this years cohort.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
The Prehistoric period<\/td>\nEvidence of Trephined skulls<\/a> shows that prehistoric man had developed surgical tools.
\nCave paintings<\/a> provide us with evidence of the way of life of prehistoric man.
\nWord of mouth and oral tradition would have played a role in the dissemination of ideas.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
The Ancient World<\/td>\nPapyrus Ebers<\/a> (c1500BC) and Papyrus Edwin Smith<\/a> are the earliest written records of medical ideas.
\nThe first use of metals<\/a> provide doctors with more effective surgical instruments.
\nEgyptian and Greek trade routes saw the spread of ideas, practices and medicines. Trade routes for spices into Egypt: Overland from Asia Minor; sea route from SE Africa; overland from Nubia and Abyssinia; sea route from Crete.
\nThe Library at Alexandria<\/a> sees the works of the ancient philosophers and doctors being stored and used for teaching.
\nIdeas based on Ayurveda<\/a> (India, c1000BC) are recorded.
\nGreek philosophers discuss their ideas about the cause of disease and note methods of curing ailments.
\nRoman roads and trade routes make the spread of ideas more efficient.
\nHippocrates<\/a> c400BC. Writes on many areas.
\nChina: Yellow Emperors Manual of Medicine<\/a> (c350BC) introduces concept of Ying and Yang.
\nChinese acupuncture<\/a> (drawings of)
\nSusruta Samhita<\/a> (Indian book, before 200AD) \u2013 provides detailed guidance on how to dissect a body.
\nGalen<\/a> \u2013 moved from Pergamum (trained at an Asclepious) to Alexandria (learnt of dissection, access to books from previous and other civilisations) to Rome (work on Gladiators) to treating Marcus Aurelius. His ideas spread throughout the Roman world and into Asia.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Medieval<\/td>\nGuy de Chauliac<\/a> writes about his ideas.
\nWound man<\/a> images are used by surgeons.
\nRhazes<\/a> (Baghdad, c900AD) publishes Treatise on Smallpox and Measles.
\nIbn Sina<\/a> (aka Avicenna) (Spain, 1037AD) publishes his Canon of Medicine which is widely used throughout the Islamic World and in Western Europe.
\nWater pipes are installed at Canterbury Cathedral.
\nIslamic academics translated the works of the Greeks and disseminated these through universities.
\nIbn-an-Nafis<\/a> (Cairo, 1242AD) correctly challenges Galen\u2019s work on the movement of blood \u2013 but his ideas are not accepted by others.
\nMedical texts are translated and \/ or copied by hand.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
The Renaissance<\/td>\nThe invention of the Printing press<\/a> enables the mass production of medical texts and the rapid spread of ideas.
\n1531, Paris: Galen\u2019s books are translated, printed and distributed.
\n1543, Padua. Publication of the Fabric of the Human Body<\/a> by Vesalius. Dissection enables him to later revise his views and Galen\u2019s errors are noted and corrected by the time of the second edition in 1555.
\n1559, Padua. Realdo Columbo<\/a> discovers that blood moves through the arteries to the Lungs.
\nWilliam Harvey<\/a> moves from England to Padua to study (1600-1602)
\nHarvey returns to London and in 1628 publishes \u2018On the movement of the heart and blood in Animals<\/a>\u2019 which shows the way in which the heart works as a pump.
\n1661, Padua: Marcello Malpighi<\/a> sees capilliaries using a microscope.
\nLeonardo Da Vinci\u2019s drawings<\/a> of human anatomy are printed and circulated (c1512)
\nHigh quality images by the likes of Vesalius and Harvey can be copied and printed accurately and in large quantities.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Industrial Revolution<\/td>\n1796 \u2013 Edward Jenner <\/a>vaccinates James Phipps against Smallpox. After testing, his method is announced in 1798.
\n1861: Louis Pasteur<\/a> publishes his German theory which proves that diseases in plants and animals were caused by germs. However he did not prove that they caused disease in humans.
\nVisualise the transmission of Pasteur\u2019s ideas to Germany, leading to…
\n1878, Germany. Robert Koch<\/a> discovers the microbes that cause wounds to go septic.
\n1881, France. Louis Pasteur produce a vaccine against anthrax.
\n1884, France. Pasteur and his team produce a vaccine against Rabies.
\n1891: the first anti-toxin is produced by Koch\u2019s laboratory to cure Diphtheria.
\n1895, Wurzburg, Germany: Wilhelm Rontgen discovers electro magnetic radiation which can pass through the body. X-Rays, as they became known, are used for the first time the following year.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
The Modern World<\/td>\n1909, Germany: After 10 years of research Paul Ehrlich<\/a>\u2019s scientific team develop a chemical treatment of the disease syphilis. This type of medicine is called \u2018the magic bullet.\u2019
\n1929, London: Alexander Fleming<\/a> identifies penicillium and notes its qualities.
\n1931: invention of the electron microscope
\n1935, France: Scientist Gerhard Domagk<\/a> uses a sulphonamide on his daughter to treat blood poisoning. The second \u2018magic bullet\u2019 had been discovered.
\n1939-43, Oxford: A team of scientists led by Howard Florey<\/a> develop Fleming\u2019s findings on penicillium and enable the mass production of the third, and most significant, magic bullet, penicillin.
\n1954, America. Jonas Salk develops vaccine for Polio.
\n1961, Germany: The tranquiliser Thalidomide is introduced t the market. Unfortunately tests had not been conducted to see what effects the drug would have on a foetus, and some 6000 babies are born with deformed limbs, or no limbs at all. As a result laws relating to drug testing and sale are tightened up.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Timeline: Medical Science, technology and communications This list is intended to provide a range of examples of the way that science, technology and communications have been linked to medicine over time. The list will be updated as I teach different periods of the course to this years cohort. The Prehistoric period Evidence of Trephined skulls… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"neve_meta_sidebar":"","neve_meta_container":"","neve_meta_enable_content_width":"off","neve_meta_content_width":100,"neve_meta_title_alignment":"","neve_meta_author_avatar":"","neve_post_elements_order":"","neve_meta_disable_header":"","neve_meta_disable_footer":"","neve_meta_disable_title":"","footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-3881","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t