Augustus Desiré Waller (1856–1922) was a British physiologist who recorded the first human electrocardiogram (ECG) in 1887. His work laid the foundation for modern electrocardiography and inspired Willem Einthoven’s innovations.
Dominique-Jean Larrey (1766–1842), Napoleon’s surgeon, pioneered flying ambulances, triage, and humane battlefield care, earning admiration from all sides.
Stigler’s Law of Eponymy: no discovery is named after its true originator. Explore its history, Merton’s roots, and modern scientific misattribution.
Greta Beighton (1939–2017), English nurse and genetic researcher who co-developed the Beighton Score for joint hypermobility and contributed to clinical genetics in South Africa.
The Beighton Score is a simple, numerical index which is used to express the range and severity of joint movements in normal and affected persons.
Peter Beighton (1934–2023) was a clinical geneticist known for research on inherited skeletal disorders and co-developing the Beighton Score for joint hypermobility.
Mary Clayton Holt (1924-1993), English cardiologist. Holt-Oram syndrome (1960); pioneer in cardiac rehab and advocate for women in medicine.
Peter Safar (1924–2003), father of modern resuscitation, pioneered CPR, ICUs, paramedic training, and therapeutic hypothermia.
Max Brödel (1870–1941), father of modern medical illustration, founded Johns Hopkins’ art in medicine department and pioneered the carbon dust technique.
Jan Evangelista Purkyně (1787–1869), pioneering physiologist whose discoveries in vision, neurology, and cardiology shaped modern medical science
Marshall Hall (1790–1857): Pioneer of reflex physiology, anti-bloodletting reformer, creator of the Ready Method for resuscitation, and advocate for animal ethics.
American gynecologist James Marion Sims (1813-1883) pioneered vesicovaginal fistula surgery but remains controversial for non-consensual experiments on enslaved women.