March 3 – On This Day in Medical History

Medical milestones, landmark publications, and notable births and deaths associated with March 3.

Events

2007 World Hearing Day first observed by the World Health Organization (WHO) as “International Ear Care Day.” Aimed to raise awareness about hearing loss and promote ear and hearing care worldwide. March 3rd was chosen because it visually represents two ears, symbolizing the importance of hearing health


Births

1649 Sir John Floyer (1649-1734), English physician; invented the Pulse-watch (1707) and strong advocate for cold bathing and hydrotherapy

1876Georges Charles Guillain (1876-1961), French neurologist; described Guillain- Barré syndrome (1916), Guillain-Mollaret triangle (1931), Garcin-Guillain syndrome (1927), Guillain sign (1923), Guillain-Betrand-Lereboullet syndrome (1934), and Guillain-Thaon syndrome (1905)

1878 Michele Landolfi (1878-1959), Italian physician; described Landolfi sign (1909)

1908Max Samter (1908-1999) was a German-American immunologist; described Samter’s triad (1968)


Deaths

1916 George Huntington (1850-1916), American physician; described Huntington’s disease (1872)

1963 Dorothy Hansine Andersen (1901-1963), American pediatrician and pathologist; described Cystic Fibrosis (1938) and Andersen disease (1956) [Glycogen Storage Disease Type IV (GSD IV)]

1981 Rebecca Craighill Lancefield (1895-1981, American bacteriologist; defined the Lancefield classification (1928) and Lancefield method (1928)


Further reading

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 |