Medical milestones, landmark publications, and notable births and deaths associated with March 30.

Events

1842 – The first surgical operation performed under ether anaesthesia. Crawford Williamson Long (1815–1878) used diethyl (“sulphuric”) ether for surgical anaesthesia in Jefferson, Georgia, excising a neck tumour from James Venable. Long didn’t publish his account until 1849, which blunted recognition for decades.

1933 – The first Doctors’ Day observance was held in Winder, Georgia, initiated by Eudora Brown Almond, wife of Dr Charles B. Almond. The day included cards to local physicians and flowers placed on doctors’ graves. The red carnation emerged as the enduring symbol.

1991 – U.S. National Doctors’ Day formally recognised at the federal level. Legislation signed by President George H. W. Bush (October 30, 1990) designated March 30, 1991 as the first “National Doctors’ Day”.

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Births

1862 – Harris Miller Branham (1862-1936), American physician; described Branham Sign (1890)

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Deaths

1958 – Albert Frank Stanley Kent (1863-1958), English physiologist; described the Bundle of Kent (1893, 1913)

1973 – Sidney Farber (1903-1973), American pediatric pathologist; described Farber disease (1952)

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Further reading

• Long CW. An account of the first use of Sulphuric Ether by Inhalation as an Anaesthetic in Surgical Operation. Southern Medical and Surgical Journal 1849; 5: 705-713
• Long Taylor F. Crawford W. Long And The Discovery Of Ether Anesthesia. 1928
• Calverley RK. How March 30th came to be Doctors’ Day.