May 7 – On This Day in Medical History
Medical milestones, landmark publications, and notable births and deaths associated with May 7.
Events
1897 – Leonardo Gigli (1863-1908) newly designed wire saw enabled the “lateralised pubiotomy” (Gigli’s operation). The first successful operation on a living patient was performed by Dr B. Bonardi in Lugano on May 7, 1897. Note: Gigli himself reportedly did not perform the procedure on a live patient until 1902.
Births
No major medical milestones added for this date yet — this page is being expanded
Deaths
1939 – Richard Clarke Cabot (1868-1939), American physician. Described Cabot- Locke murmur (1903); Cabot Rings (1903); and formally introduced the term “Courvoisier’s Law”
Further reading
- Brunori A, Bruni P, Greco R, Giuffré R, Chiappetta F. Celebrating the centennial (1894-1994): Leonardo Gigli and his wire saw. J Neurosurg. 1995 Jun;82(6):1086-90.
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. Editor-in-Chief and Webmaster of Life in the Fast lane, LITFL | On Call 4e| Eponyms | Books | Horology |