Prior to this, mass vaccination against smallpox was carried out only in the Russian Empire by order of Catherine II. Smallpox vaccination was given in all countries until the 1970s

Discoveries and achievements of medicine in the 19th century

The 19th century is very famous for discoveries in medicine. Many devices and devices originate precisely in the 19th century. Many of the founding principles of modern medicine also go back to the 1800s. So the theory of germs and sterilization became the basis for the invention of very important tools that are still used today. For example, the stethoscope was born in the 19th century. The pharmaceutical industry has also kept up with medicine in new discoveries. Great strides have been made in the field of vaccinations. All this will significantly improve and prolong the life of people.

Until the 19th century, the world was very different, but with the advent of medical inventions, it will never be the same again. In this article, you will see some of these important medical innovations that appeared almost two centuries ago.

A very important acquisition of the 19th century will be the stethoscope invented by René Laennec. This device has made a huge contribution to saving millions of lives since its invention in 1816. Before his advent, doctors could only diagnose an illness by placing their ear on a patient's back or chest. But the human ear could not always catch the various nuances of the disease. So it was almost impossible to make a correct diagnosis. The stethoscope, on the other hand, could pick up various nuances and amplify them. The new device was comfortable to use, unlike the method of applying the doctor's ear to the patient's body. The stethoscope has revolutionized the field of diagnosing diseases. Today, the device of this device has not changed much.

Quinine also became a very important invention of the 19th century. He was able to make a difference in the treatment of malaria. The property of cinchona bark was known earlier, but it was possible to isolate the necessary ingredient from it only in 1820. This was done by Pierre Joseph Pelletier. Now this drug is produced on an industrial scale. It is the main cure for malaria. With the use of quinine, the world's first clinical trials were carried out. It remained the primary treatment for malaria until 1920, when synthetic quinine was introduced.

Invented in 1829, aspirin was a real miracle. Its author was the Italian pharmacist Raffael Piria, who discovered the properties of salicylic acid. Charles Frédéric Gérard combined salicylic acid with an acetyl group. So in 1853, aspirin was born – acetylsalicylic acid. Chemist Felix Hoffmann gave it the form of tablets, thus solving many problems with the preparation of acetylsalicylic acid. At the end of the 19th century, its mass production began. This made it easier and saved the lives of many patients. Aspirin is one of the main medicines in the world.

The first human blood transfusion was also done in the 19th century. It was conducted in Britain by James Blundell in 1818 during childbirth. This procedure became safe in 1901, when the Austrian physician Karl Landsteiner determined the blood types.

In 1844, nitric oxide was first used as an anesthetic. It was used by dentist Horace Wells. Until the middle of the last century, this remedy was the main one of the general anesthesia used. Nitric oxide was also good at relieving pain in parturient women.

In 1867 Joseph Lister published the antiseptic principle in surgery. Since then, operating rooms have become cleaner, leading to better patient survival after surgery. It became a revolution in thinking. Lister developed a large number of antiseptics, such as carbolic acid. Morbidity after surgery was reduced by 60%.

By the end of the 19th century, the first cholera vaccines had been developed. Their author was a doctor from Catalonia, Ferrand and Cloix. He managed to isolate a live vaccine from cholera patients. During the cholera epidemic in Valencia, the vaccine helped 50,000 people. After him, the Russian doctor Vladimir Khavkin developed a milder cholera vaccine that had far fewer side effects. The next vaccine against cholera was a vaccine made from dead bacteria, which became the main drug. Its author was Wilhelm Kolle.

Many of you have certainly heard of x-rays. Wilhelm Roentgen was the first to systematically study this phenomenon in 1895. But he was not the first in these studies. His discoveries were truly innovative. Vein surgeons were the first to use them to detect bullets stuck in the bodies of wounded soldiers. Nowadays, it is impossible to imagine modern medicine without x-rays.

Edward Jenner at the end of the 18th century developed a safe vaccine against smallpox, which claims millions of lives around the world. In 1913, the USA passed the vaccination law. Prior to this, mass vaccination against smallpox was carried out only in the Russian Empire by order of Catherine II. Smallpox vaccination was given in all countries until the 1970s. After that, smallpox is considered completely eradicated. Jenner is considered the founder of immunology.

Louis Pasteur and Robert Koch determined that microbes are the cause of many diseases. This became possible with the advent of microscopes. Louis Pasteur developed the process of pasteurization and sterilization. He proved that it could stop many common diseases. Pasteur was able to convince the scientific world that microbes are transmitted through person-to-person contact and through used tools. He is also the founder of virology.

English physician John Hughes Bennett was the first physician to describe leukemia. This was in 1845.He revealed the source of this disease. Before him, this disease was called Belokrovia. A little later, Franz Neumanov tied this type of disease with the bone marrow.

Starting from the 17th century, the hearing impaired people applied to the ultra to enhance the sound. But the real auditory apparatus appeared in 1895. His creator became Miller Riz Hutchinson. Its electrical apparatus was called Akophon. He began to develop it for his deaf friend.

In 1890, it was proved that Malaria spread mosquitoes. This discovery made the British doctor Ronald Ross. Before it, the opening of the malarious microbe was made by the French military doctor Charf Louis Alphonse Laveran ten years earlier.

The first operations on the heart were also made in the 19th century. They were held by Surgeons Francisco Romero and Dominic Jean Larray at the beginning of the century. And at the end of the century, Daniel Hale Williams was held a more complex operation on the heart. And in 1895, Axel Kapplen stopped the bleeding of the coronary artery. But this operation had complications from which the patient died. Such a successful operation was carried out in 1896 by Ludwig Ren. This was a real breakthrough in surgery.

Ophthalmoscope also became an important acquisition of the 19th century. He was invented in 1847 Charles Babbage. And in 1851, regardless of him, such a device was invented by Helmong Helmholz. This allowed the doctors better to view the eye bottom. Today, this device is widely used by doctors around the world.