Medicine through time by Katie Banks

Hippocrates - 460-370BC

21kbanks — 2026-06-03 12:14:00 UTC

Promoted observation, Hippocaratic oath and theory of four humours impacted health until the 1800s

Galen 130-210AD

21kbanks — 2026-06-03 12:15:08 UTC

Promoted observation, continued Hippocrates four humours, dissected animals

Rhazes 865-925AD

21kbanks — 2026-06-03 12:17:24 UTC

Distinguished measles from smallpox, wrote over 150 books including “doubts about Galen”

Avicenna 980-1037

21kbanks — 2026-06-03 12:18:23 UTC

Wrote ‘Canon of Medicine’ which became standard medical textbook until the 1800s

Hugh of Lucca and Theodoric 1267

21kbanks — 2026-06-03 12:20:17 UTC

Criticised view that pus was needed for a wound to heal and used wine on wounds but did not become popular because ideas clashed with Hippocrates

John of Ardene - 1300s

21kbanks — 2026-06-03 12:21:43 UTC

Famous medieval surgeon who set up ‘Guild of Surgeons’ and gained knowledge from war and specialised in operations for anal abscess

The Black Death - 1348-50

21kbanks — 2026-06-03 12:25:13 UTC

Combination of bubonic and pneumonic spread by rats, killed nearly half of Europes population, spread due to poor hygiene, overcrowded villages and outdated ideas with lack of knowledge of germs. Isolation was the best solution they had, along with prayer, odd remedies such as drinking mercury or moving away.

Printing press - 1451

21kbanks — 2026-06-03 12:27:06 UTC

Helped spread knowledge and spread the Renaissance making books cheaper and knowledge and new ideas easier to access

Andreus Vesalius - 1500s

21kbanks — 2026-06-03 12:29:17 UTC

Did dissections himself, wrote an anatomically accurate textbook ‘The fabric of the human body’ in 1543 with proof, was criticised for contrasting Galen but became doctor to Emperor Charles V

Ambroise Paré 1510-90

21kbanks — 2026-06-03 12:31:42 UTC

Discovered gunshot wounds weren’t poisonous and cauterised wounds, promoted ligatures and false limbs he designed, wrote ‘Works on Surgery’ in 1575

William Harvey 1578-1657

21kbanks — 2026-06-03 12:33:55 UTC

Challenged Galen by arguing that blood circulated around the body and observed and dissected human hearts but didnt know why it circulated so he waited until 1628 to publish ‘De Motu Cordis’ about circulation. His ideas were proved right after he died by the microscope

John Hunter 1728-93

21kbanks — 2026-06-03 12:37:39 UTC

Promoted careful observation, experimented with gonorrhoea on himself and saved a mans leg who had an aneurysm instead of amputation. Collected animal parts plants and fossils and studied circulation. Also taught Edward Jenner.

Edward Jenner 1749-1823

21kbanks — 2026-06-03 12:44:09 UTC

Replaced inoculation (giving mild dose of the disease scratched into skin against smallpox) with a cowpox vaccine which was less dangerous and was rewarded with £10,000 and the gov made vaccination compulsory in 1853 which was eventually eradicated. Wasn’t respected because he couldn’t explain how it worked and accidentally killed a patient because of contaminated equipment.

James Simpson 1800s

21kbanks — 2026-06-03 12:48:09 UTC

Discovered chloroform as an anaesthetic which was not accepted until used by Queen Victoria in 1853. Longer operations led to increased blood loss and deeper infection and dosage wasn’t known.

Joseph Lister 1800s

21kbanks — 2026-06-03 12:50:43 UTC

Used carbolic acid to develop sterilisation and mortality rates fell from 46% to 15% once used. Not fully accepted as it slowed down operation, wasn’t always used properly and caused irritation to skin.

Louis Pasteur 1827-1912

21kbanks — 2026-06-03 12:53:48 UTC

Proved that spontaneous generation was wrong and that germs caused decay rather than chemicals.

John Snow 1800s

21kbanks — 2026-06-03 12:56:51 UTC

Linked a cholera outbreak to a single water pump in Broad street in Soho and proved cholera was not miasma but caught by contact with infected water. Contributed to the resolution of the ‘Great Stink’ in which a new sewer system was built by Joseph Bazalgette in London.

Robert Koch - late 1800s

21kbanks — 2026-06-03 14:39:49 UTC

Applied Germ theory to human disease to study bacteria, he identified the microbe responsible for anthrax and tuberculosis 1882 and the deadly cholera germs in 1884. He proved specific bacteria were responsible for a specific disease and discovered dyes to stain microbes. His work was accepted in Britain.

Ehrlich

21kbanks — 2026-06-03 14:40:53 UTC

Kochs assistant who discovered magic bullets

Alexander Fleming 1900s

21kbanks — 2026-06-03 14:43:00 UTC

Left staphylococcus germs in his lab and discovered some mould had killed it, this was penicillin. He eventually lost interest in it as he didnt know it was an antibiotic.

Florey and Chain

21kbanks — 2026-06-03 14:44:25 UTC

Tested penicillin on mice and secured funding to use on patients in WW2 in the US who payed chemical companys to mass produce it. Became publicly used as soon as the war ended.