1810 s
1820 s
1830 s
1840 s
1850 s
1860 s
1870 s
1880 s
1890 s
1900 s
1910 s
1920 s
1930 s
1940 s
1950 s
1960 s
1970 s
1980 s
1990 s
2000 s
1812
2012
History of Medical Discoveries
Explore the interactive timeline of the history of modern medicine. Each image links to historical information and articles published in NEJM. Use the cursor to navigate across the centuries. View by color coded areas of medicine or by social media rating. Share or comment with your peers.
LOADING CONTENT...
0%
History of Medical Discoveries
Explore the interactive timeline of the history of modern medicine. Each image links to historical information and articles published in NEJM. Use the cursor to navigate across the centuries. View by color coded areas of medicine or by social media rating. Share or comment with your peers.
IT APPEARS YOU ARE ACCESSING THE TIMELINE WITH YOUR TABLET.
WE HAVE AN OPTIMIZED VERSION FOR YOU TO TRY.
No thank you, continue with regular view

Areas of Medicine:

General Medicine
Surgery
Pediatrics
Obstetrics/Gynecology
Neurology/Psychiatry
Public Health
Biology/Science
Cancel
Apply
You appear to be using an older browser version. the enhanced features
of this timeline work best with updated browsers.
January 17th 1812
New England's first medical journal is launched
in General Medicine
1812
1813
1814
1815
January 1st 1816
Invention of the Stethoscope
in General Medicine
1816
1817
1818
1819
1820
1821
October 1st 1822
A Peculiar Disease Resulting from the Use of Ardent Spirits
in General Medicine
1822
April 29th 1823
Boston Medical Intelligencer introduced
in General Medicine
1823
1824
January 1st 1825
A New Epidemical Fever
in Pediatrics
1825
1826
1827
February 15th 1828
Boston Medical Intelligencer merges with BMSJ
in General Medicine
1828
1829
1830
1831
1832
1833
1834
1835
1836
March 8th 1837
Rhinoplastic Operation
in Surgery
1837
1838
1839
April 15th 1840
Vesicovaginal Fistula
in Surgery
1840
1841
1842
1843
1844
1845
November 18th 1846
The Beginnings of Anesthesia
in Surgery
1846
January 1st 1847
Wash Your Hands
in General Medicine
1847
1848
1849
1850
1851
1852
1853
1854
May 3rd 1855
‘A Last Resort’: An Early Hysterectomy
in Surgery
1855
1856
1857
1858
1859
1860
1861
1862
1863
1864
1865
1866
January 1st 1867
Antisepsis
in Surgery
1867
1868
April 29th 1869
Neurasthenia and the Secret Power of Electrization
in Neurology/Psychiatry
1869
1870
1871
October 17th 1872
Understanding the Brain
in Neurology/Psychiatry
1872
1873
1874
1875
1876
1877
1878
1879
1880
1881
January 1st 1882
Radical Mastectomy: Dr. William Halsted
in Surgery
1882
1883
1884
1885
1886
January 1st 1887
The NIH is founded in Staten Island, New York
in Public Health
1887
1888
February 21st 1889
Pain, Distension and Vomiting: Pancreatitis
in General Medicine
1889
January 1st 1890
Koch's Postulates
in Biology/Science
December 4th 1890
Antitoxins for Diptheria and Tetanus
in Biology/Science
1890
1891
1892
1893
1894
December 1st 1895
I Have Seen my Own Death
in General Medicine
1895
1896
August 10th 1897
ASA
in General Medicine
1897
January 1st 1898
Marie and Pierre Curie: The Discovery of Radium
in Biology/Science
1898
January 1st 1899
Freud publishes Interpretation of Dreams
in Neurology/Psychiatry
1899
1900
January 1st 1901
First Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
in General Medicine
1901
1902
1903
1904
1905
January 1st 1906
Typhoid Mary
in Public Health
May 31st 1906
First Description of Subdeltoid Bursitis
in General Medicine
June 7th 1906
Red blood Comes from the Bone Marrow
in General Medicine
1906
January 1st 1907
What's Your Blood Type?
in Biology/Science
1907
1908
1909
February 7th 1910
An Obscure Affectation of Hip Joint
in General Medicine
1910
January 1st 1911
The Magic Bullet
in General Medicine
March 16th 1911
The Lumbosacral Articulation
in Surgery
June 29th 1911
Suprapubic Prostatectomy
in Surgery
1911
1912
1913
1914
1915
1916
1917
January 1st 1918
Spanish Influenza Pandemic of 1918
in Public Health
1918
1919
1920
1921
1922
June 28th 1923
A Human Case of Mitral Stenosis
in Surgery
1923
1924
1925
1926
January 1st 1927
Breathe In, Breathe Out
in Pediatrics
1927
January 1st 1928
The Discovery of Penicillin
in Biology/Science
February 23rd 1928
BMSJ becomes "New England Journal of Medicine"
in General Medicine
1928
1929
1930
1931
1932
February 9th 1933
The Role of Infection in Burns
in General Medicine
1933
1934
May 2nd 1935
Physician and Patient as a Social System
in General Medicine
1935
1936
April 29th 1937
McCune-Albright Syndrome
in Pediatrics
December 2nd 1937
Development of the “Ham Test”
in General Medicine
1937
September 22nd 1938
EEE
in General Medicine
1938
1939
1940
1941
1942
1943
1944
1945
1946
1947
June 3rd 1948
Treating Childhood Leukemia
in General Medicine
1948
1949
1950
January 1st 1951
Cardiopulmonary Bypass
in Surgery
January 11th 1951
Exchange Transfusion
in Pediatrics
April 12th 1951
Cat Scratch Fever
in General Medicine
1951
November 13th 1952
Restarting the Heart
in General Medicine
1952
1953
December 23rd 1954
First Transplant
in Surgery
1954
January 1st 1955
Invention of the Birth Control Pill
in Obstetrics/Gynecology
April 12th 1955
Discovery of the Salk Polio Vaccine
in Public Health
1955
January 1st 1956
Metalloenzymes and myocardial infarction
in Biology/Science
March 22nd 1956
Cardiac Arrest in the Operating Room
in Surgery
July 12th 1956
Multiple Flavors of Guillain-Barré
in Neurology/Psychiatry
1956
September 12th 1957
Intravenous Infusion of Bone Marrow
in General Medicine
1957
January 1st 1958
Birth Defects and Thalidomide
in Public Health
June 5th 1958
A Mysterious Lung Condition
in General Medicine
1958
1959
July 28th 1960
Studies on an Attenuated Measles-Virus Vaccine
in Public Health
1960
1961
1962
June 13th 1963
Transplant Immunosuppressive Therapy
in Surgery
1963
1964
1965
February 17th 1966
Infective Endocarditis
in General Medicine
1966
January 5th 1967
Fat Transport in Lipoproteins
in Biology/Science
February 16th 1967
Attempting to Modify Parkinson’s Disease
in Neurology/Psychiatry
1967
January 1st 1968
The Dead Donor Rule and Organ Transplantation
in Neurology/Psychiatry
May 2nd 1968
Test for Chronic Granulomatous Disease
in Biology/Science
1968
February 13th 1969
L-dopa for Parkinson's
in Neurology/Psychiatry
November 27th 1969
Measuring Digoxin Levels
in General Medicine
1969
August 27th 1970
The Swan-Ganz Catheter
in Surgery
1970
February 25th 1971
The Mystery of Hepatitis-Associated Australia Antigen
in General Medicine
April 22nd 1971
Herbst Links Maternal Use of DES with Vaginal Adenocarcinoma
in Obstetrics/Gynecology
July 15th 1971
CEA Association with Multiple Tumor Types
in General Medicine
1971
1972
February 15th 1973
Polypectomy
in Surgery
1973
March 28th 1974
Cardiac Effects of Long-Term Dialysis
in General Medicine
May 26th 1974
Major residents of our skin and mucous membrane
in General Medicine
December 5th 1974
Photochemotherapy in the Treatment of Psoriasis
in General Medicine
1974
December 4th 1975
Hormone Replacement Therapy: A Controversy Begins
in Public Health
1975
August 12th 1976
The Pathogenesis of Atherosclerosis
in General Medicine
August 19th 1976
Monitoring Hemoglobin A1c in Diabetes
in General Medicine
1976
1977
April 20th 1978
Taking Care of the Hateful Patient
in General Medicine
May 4th 1978
ACE Inhibitor
in General Medicine
1978
1979
May 1st 1980
The Eradication of Smallpox
in Public Health
August 7th 1980
The implanted automatic defibrillator
in Surgery
October 9th 1980
Early Hepatitis B Vaccine
in Public Health
December 25th 1980
Physicians Are Indeed Arrogant
in Public Health
1980
April 2nd 1981
Beta Blockers for MI Patients
in General Medicine
July 2nd 1981
Lumpectomy as Breast Cancer Treatment
in Surgery
July 2nd 1981
Tamoxifen plus chemotherapy for primary breast cancer
in General Medicine
December 10th 1981
New Public Health Menace
in Public Health
1981
May 27th 1982
A Classic in Medical Decision-Making
in Public Health
December 2nd 1982
The Artificial Heart
in Surgery
1982
1983
1984
1985
1986
July 23rd 1987
AZT and the Beginning of Treatment for HIV/AIDS
in General Medicine
1987
January 7th 1988
Do-Not-Resuscitate Orders
in Public Health
January 28th 1988
Aspirin Prevents Heart Attacks
in General Medicine
1988
July 20th 1989
Final Report of the Physician's Health Study
in General Medicine
1989
1990
October 17th 1991
Is Gastric Cancer an Infectious Disease?
in General Medicine
1991
1992
1993
November 3rd 1994
Vertical Transmission of HIV
in General Medicine
1994
December 14th 1995
First Therapy for Ischemic Stroke
in Neurology/Psychiatry
1995
February 1st 1996
First NEJM website
in General Medicine
1996
April 17th 1997
The DASH Diet
in General Medicine
May 15th 1997
Breast Cancer, BRCA1 and BRCA2
in Biology/Science
September 11th 1997
Progress in HIV Treatment
in General Medicine
1997
1998
1999
May 4th 2000
Low Tidal Volume Ventilation Improves Survival
in General Medicine
2000
February 1st 2001
The Human Genome is Sequenced
in Biology/Science
April 5th 2001
Beginnings of Personalized Medicine
in General Medicine
2001
February 7th 2002
Preventing Diabetes
in General Medicine
November 12th 2002
The Beginning of the End for Cervical Cancer
in General Medicine
2002
March 1st 2003
SARS
in General Medicine
2003
April 8th 2004
TIMI 22 Pushes LDL Goals Even Lower
in General Medicine
2004
2005
2006
July 26th 2007
Oscar the Cat
in Public Health
2007
June 12th 2008
Increased Mortality with Intensive Glucose Control
in General Medicine
November 20th 2008
JUPITER Trial Ignites Controversy
in General Medicine
2008
March 26th 2009
Glucose Control in the ICU
in General Medicine
2009
2010
2011
January 1st 2012
Credits
in General Medicine
2012