January 5 – On This Day in Medical History
Medical milestones, landmark publications, and notable births and deaths associated with January 5.
Events
1896 – “Die Presse (Vienna)” broadsheet newspaper publicly announces Wilhelm Röntgen’s discovery of X-rays in a front-page article
Original
English
In den gelehrten Fachkreisen Wiens macht gegenwärtig die Mitteilung von einer Entdeckung, welche Professor Röntgen in Würzburg gemacht haben soll, große Sensation. Wenn sich dieselbe bewährt, wenn die hierauf begründeten Mitteilungen sich als begründet erweisen, so hat man es mit einem in seiner Art epochemachenden Ergebnis der exakten Forschung zu tun, das sowohl auf physikalischem wie auf medizinischem Gebiete ganz merkwürdige Konsequenzen bringen dürfte. Die Presse. Jan 5, 1896
In Vienna’s scholarly circles, the announcement of a discovery allegedly made by Professor Röntgen in Würzburg is currently causing a great sensation. If this discovery proves to be valid, and if the subsequent reports are found to be well-founded, then we are dealing with an epoch-making result of exact research, one that is likely to have quite remarkable consequences in both the physical and medical fields. Die Presse. Jan 5, 1896
1961 – Japanese pediatrician, Tomisaku Kawasaki 川崎 富作 (1925-2020) examined a 4 year-3 month old boy, with curious clinical symptom-complex. The first description of Kawasaki disease
Births
1826 – Edmé Félix Alfred Vulpian (1826-1887) was a French neurologist; described Vulpian sign, Vulpian-Bernhardt spinal muscular atrophy and the Vulpian-Prévost law
1895 – Rebecca Craighill Lancefield (1895-1981), American bacteriologist. Eponymously known for her serological classification of beta haemolytic streptococci into Lancefield groups
Deaths
1900 – William Alexander Hammond (1828-1900), American neurologist, military physician, surgeon and naturalist. Described Hammond disease (athetosis)
2017 – Wilma Canada (1926-2017), American radiologist; described Cronkhite–Canada syndrome (1955)
Further reading
- 1896: Strahlen durch die Weichteile. Die Presse 2013 [PDF]
- Monville JF, Dondelinger RF. Father and Son Jointly Announced the Discovery of Röntgen Rays in Two Consecutive Press Articles – Revisited. J Belg Soc Radiol. 2023 Jan 4;107(1):3.
BA MA (Oxon) MBChB (Edin) FACEM FFSEM. Emergency physician, Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital. Passion for rugby; medical history; medical education; and asynchronous learning #FOAMed evangelist. Co-founder and CTO of Life in the Fast lane | On Call: Principles and Protocol 4e| Eponyms | Books |