August 9 – On This Day in Medical History
Medical milestones, landmark publications, and notable births and deaths associated with August 9.
Events
1721 – With royal approval, surgeon Charles Maitland variolated six Newgate prisoners (in exchange for clemency) under observation by court physicians and Fellows of the Royal Society. All survived, and later exposure suggested protection against smallpox—an early, ethically uncomfortable milestone in the adoption of inoculation in Britain
Births
1890 – William (Wilhelm) Dressler (1890-1969), Austrian-American cardiologist. Described the Dressler beat (1952) and Dressler syndrome (1956)
1909 – Lisa Welander (1909-2001), Swedish neurologist; described Welander distal myopathy (1951), and Wohlfart-Kugelberg-Welander syndrome (1956)
Deaths
No major medical milestones added for this date yet — this page is being expanded
Further reading
- Riedel S. Edward Jenner and the history of smallpox and vaccination. Proc (Bayl Univ Med Cent). 2005 Jan; 18(1): 21–25.
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 |