Medical milestones, landmark publications, and notable births and deaths associated with January 17.

Events

1939 – The German government issued the “Eighth Decree on the Reich Citizenship Law,” (Achte Verordnung zum Reichsbürgergesetz) which officially forbade Jews from practicing as dentists, veterinarians, and pharmacists (chemists). The decree declared that the licenses of Jewish doctors to practice medicine in Germany would expire on September 30, 1939.

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Births

1666 – Antonio Maria Valsalva (1666–1723), Italian anatomist who gave his name to the Valsalva maneuver

1869 – Georg Clemens Perthes (1869-1927), German surgeon. Described Perthes test (1895), Perthes Lesion (1906) [Bankart lesion], and Legg-Calvé-Perthes disease (LCPD); (1910)

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Deaths

1815 – Giovanni Battista Montéggia (1762-1815), Italian surgeon; described Montegia Fracture (1812). First to describe the pathology of gonorrhoeal arthritis, Annotazioni pratiche sopra i mali venerei (1794), an observation for which Sir Benjamin Brodie is usually credited.

2005 – Virginia Claire Canale (1936-2005), pediatric hematologist’ described Canale-Smith syndrome (1967)

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Further reading

• Eighth Ordinance on the Reich Citizenship Law from 17 January 1939
• Norrman L, Gross D. Escaping Nazi Germany: Jewish refugee dentists and their post-emigration careers in the United States of America. Endeavour. 2023 Jun;47(1-2):100861.