August 25 – On This Day in Medical History

Medical milestones, landmark publications, and notable births and deaths associated with August 25.

Events

2020 — The Africa Regional Certification Commission certified the WHO African Region free of indigenous wild poliovirus after four years without a case, marking a major milestone achieved through decades of vaccination, surveillance, and regional partnerships. Note: Certification applied to wild poliovirus; outbreaks of circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus can still occur and require ongoing immunisation and surveillance


Births

1841Emil Theodor Kocher (1841-1917), Swiss Surgeon; decribed the Kocher Reflection, Kocher sign, Kocher manoeuvre (Kocherization), Kocher manoeuvre (shoulder), Kocher method, and many more…

1927Josef Thurner, Austrian pathologist; described May–Thurner Syndrome (1956)


Deaths

1910Eduard Heinrich Henoch (1820-1910), German Paediatrician; described Henoch-Schönlein Purpura (1868)

1923 James Leonard Corning (1855-1923), American neurologist; credited with performing the first recorded neuraxial anaesthetic (1885).


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 |