Key People
Paracelsus
(1492-1541) physician, alchemist, founder of toxicology
Paracelsus was a major contributer to veering away from traditional superstition and moving towards experimentation. He believed that every disease could be treated with some sort of remedy. Instead of studying traditional treatments, such as herbs and animal substances, he looked at inorganic compounds and tried to reduce toxicity. He was also one of the first people to conduct a occupational medical study when he observed silicosis and tuberculosis in miners. Paracelsus believed that all diseases had a rational cause and could be explained by an outside agent, which differed from the traditional belief that disease was a divine punishment. |
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William Harvey(1578-1657) physician
William Harvey published An Anatomical Study of the Motion of the Heart and of the Blood in Animals which changed the face of science and revolutionized people's understanding of human anatomy. He was the first to describe the circulation of blood and how it is pumped by the heart to every area of the body. Harvey helped ignite the Scientific Revolution and inspire other physicians and scientists behind him. |
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Edward Jenner(1749-1823) Physician
Edward Jenner was revolutionary because of his innovative approach to treating illnesses. He was responsible for pioneering the first ever vaccine, which was to treat smallpox in 1796. He discovered that having cowpox made people immune to catching smallpox. Jenner tested his theory by taking matter of lesions caused by cowpox from one person and injecting it into someone with smallpox. After a few days of discomfort the person who was given the vaccine was immune to smallpox. His discovery spread all over the world and soon decreased the deaths caused by his epidemic. |
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Joseph Lister(1827-1912) Surgeon
Lister helped introduce a new antiseptic principle of surgery. With this new concept surgery was safer and more sanitary and less people died of infection. He made sure to put up and antiseptic barrier between a wound in order to contain it and not contaminate his tools. |
Alexander Fleming(1881-1955) Biologist
Alexander Fleming is one of the most prominent scientists of the twentieth century. Fleming worked as a physician during World War I and gained medical experience.His discovery of penicillin helped reduce infections and improve lives. This was the first antibiotic that paved the way for modern health care and treatment |