Medical milestones, landmark publications, and notable births and deaths associated with May 22.

Events

2017 – Inaugural World Preeclampsia Day to raise awareness of preeclampsia as a life-threatening complication of pregnancy. The day commemorates the birth Leon C. Chesley PhD (1908-2000) recognised as the founding father of modern preeclampsia research

Chesley’s groundbreaking work, published from the late 1930s to the 1980s, encompassed the origin and progression of disease in the blood vessels and kidneys during pregnancy, as well as the epidemiology, treatment, and long-term prognosis of hypertension in pregnancy

Hypertension Editors April 2025 special edition

---

Births

1733 – Alexander Monro secundus (1733-1817), Scottish physician; described Monro-Kellie doctrine (1783) and Interventricular foramen (of Monro) (1783)

1828 – Albrecht von Gräfe (1828-1870), German ophthalmologist. Father of scientific ophthalmology; first successful treatment for glaucoma via iridectomy and the design of the “Graefe knife” for cataract surgery

1859 – Arthur Conan Doyle (1859-1930), Scottish doctor and writer. Created the character Sherlock Holmes (1887) based on his former surgical mentor Joseph Bell (1837–1911)

1866 – Jules Sottas (1866–1945), French neurologist; described Dejerine-Sottas Disease (1893) 

1908 – Carey (Leon) Commodore Chesley (1908-2000); a founding father of modern preeclampsia research. His multi-decade research led to more accurate diagnosis of preeclampsia and eclampsia in pregnant women and significantly reduced the mortality of pregnant women due to hypertensive diseases

---

Deaths

1919 – Hermann Oppenheim (1858-1919), German neurologist; described Oppenheim sign/reflex (1902) and Oppenheim disease (1900)

1926 – Ernest Septimus Reynolds (1861-1926), English physician; first described Mees lines (Reynolds lines) in 1901

---

Further reading

• Chesley LC. Hypertensive Disorders in Pregnancy. New York: Appleton-Century-Crofts, 1978. [first text to unify the clinical management of preeclampsia with the underlying pathophysiology]
• National Preeclampsia Awareness Month recognized with special issue of Hypertension journal. American Heart Association
• Hypertension Volume 82, Number 4, April 2025 [World Preeclampsia Day]