October 17 – On This Day in Medical History

Medical milestones, landmark publications, and notable births and deaths associated with October 17.

Events


Births

1807 Charles Thomas Stent (1807-1885), English dentist; queried as the likely origin of the term ‘Stent’

1833Paul Bert (1833-1886), French physiologist and politician; described the Paul Bert Effect (1878)

1886Ernest William Goodpasture (1886-1960), American pathologist; described Goodpasture syndrome (1919)

1897Sir Robert Reynolds Macintosh (1897-1989), New Zealand Anaesthetist. Inventor of the Macintosh Laryngoscope (1943), Gum elastic bougie (1949), and Light wand (1957)

1923Patrick Gerard Collins (1923-1999), Irish general surgeon; described Collins sign (1999)


Deaths

1806Joseph François Malgaigne (1806- 1865) was a French Surgeon. Described Malgaigne Fracture (1847); invented the Malgaigne Hook and External fixation techniques; published two groun breaking textbooks the Manuel de médecine opératoire (1834) and Traité des fractures et des luxations (1847)

1990William Dock (1898-1990), American cardiologist; described Dock’s murmur (1967), Sutton’s Law (Dock’s Law) (1961), and the 99 diphthong misnomer (1973)

1934Santiago Ramón y Cajal (1852-1934), Spanish biologist and pathologist; described Interstitial Cell of Cajal (ICC), Cajal-Retzius Cells, Cajal Body, Cajal’s Stain and his Neuron Doctrine (or Neuron Theory). Shared Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (1906) with Camillo Golgi (1843-1926)


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 |