Walter Reed (1851–1902) was a pioneering American physician and army surgeon whose work confirmed the theory that yellow fever is transmitted by mosquitoes, specifically the Aedes aegypti species. This groundbreaking discovery was influenced by the earlier hypotheses of Cuban doctor Carlos Finlay. Serving as the head of the U.S. Army Yellow Fever Commission in Cuba,…
Sir Richard Doll (1912–2005) was a prominent British epidemiologist and physician whose groundbreaking research established the link between smoking and lung cancer. Born in London, Doll’s work profoundly influenced public health policies worldwide. In the early 1950s, he conducted a seminal study that revealed a strong association between cigarette smoking and lung cancer, a finding…
Elizabeth Garrett Anderson (1836–1917) was a pioneering British physician, feminist, and suffragist who became the first woman to qualify as a physician and surgeon in Britain. Facing numerous obstacles due to her gender, she persisted in her pursuit of a medical career, attending medical lectures in secret and eventually gaining acceptance to the Society of…
Michael DeBakey (1908–2008) was an American cardiac surgeon renowned for his groundbreaking contributions to cardiovascular medicine. Pioneering innovations like the roller pump and ventricular assist device revolutionized heart surgery. He performed thousands of surgeries, including coronary artery bypass grafting and aortic aneurysm repair. As chair of surgery at Baylor College of Medicine, he established the…
