Famed Fathers of Medicine might seem like an unusual topic for the FLASS blog. However, with Father’s Day just around the corner, we think it is quite appropriate to step away from our usual lung disease topics.
Happy Father’s Day to All the Father Figures in Your Life.
Famed Fathers of Medicine: A Tribute
In this blog, we pay tribute to three Fathers of Medicine. Obviously, we will be showering the fathers and father figures in our private lives with gifts, cards, and special outings.
The famed fathers of medicine in this blog are not ours by blood. However, they are our fathers by the special bond of history and legend.
Additionally, they are our famed fathers through the medical legacy of the gifts they left us. They are the fathers of medicine itself.
The First of Our Famed Fathers of Medicine: Hippocrates, Father of Medicine
Hippocrates, the Father of Medicine: He Created Much More Than the Famous Oath.
Almost everyone has heard of the Hippocratic Oath. It is named for an ancient Greek physician who formalized the idea of “First, do no harm…”
In fact, he was the mind behind the concept of a medical school to train physicians. This ancient Greek physician lived from 460 BC to 375 BC.
Hippocrates of Kos was a Greek physician who lived from about 460 B.C. to 375 B.C. At the time he revolutionized medicine by ascribing it to natural causes.
That might not be so radical today, but in a time of superstition and wrathful gods, it was a revolutionary concept. Therefore, he is widely regarded as the Famed Father of Medicine.
Meet the Famed Father of Pulmonary Medicine: René Laënnec
Now You Know Which Father of Medicine Invented the Stethoscope.
It is especially fitting to recognize the Father of Pulmonary Medicine since our doctors specialize in pulmonology. This specialty within the realm of medicine is the study of lungs and lung disease.
Many experts agree that René Laënnec is the father of pulmonary medicine. You see, we give him extra honor because he invented the stethoscope. Then he used it to document, describe and classify the sounds he heard from both healthy and diseased lungs.
“Importantly also, in 1804, he reasoned, from observations made at hundreds of autopsy examinations, that the many different pathological manifestations of tuberculosis all belonged to one and the same disease…”
He called that one disease by its old-time, traditional name, phthisis. In the present time, we know the disease by its modern name, tuberculosis. And that same disease consumed him in 1826 at the young age of 45.
Famed Father of Modern Surgery: Ambroise Paré
Ambroise Pare, Known as the Father of Modern Surgery, Was Far Ahead of His Time.
Ambroise Pare comes to us from Renaissance France in the 1500s. Many medical historians claim him to be the famed father of Modern Surgery.
He worked his way up the medical profession from barber-surgeon apprentice to teacher, to army surgeon, to surgeon to the king.
And not just one king! He served Henry II, Francis II, Charles IX, and Henry III. He achieved his reputation as a famed father of modern surgery during a time of war, gunshot wounds, and primitive surgical techniques.
Boiling Oil vs. Pare’s Mixture
Traditional gunshot wounds of the time period were treated with boiling oil. Out of necessity, when he ran out of his oil supply, he made a mixture of egg yolk, rose oil, and turpentine.
Much to his surprise, the wounds he treated with his concoction healed faster than the gunshot wounds treated with boiling oil. He also shocked the medical community by tying large arteries instead of searing them with hot irons.
More Improvements in Surgery by the Famed Father of Surgery, Ambroise Pare
Medicine owes this surgeon praise and honor during this special Father’s Day for several more innovative practices:
- He was not quick to cut. “Paré resorted to surgery only when he found it absolutely necessary.”
- At a time when castrating patients for hernia was traditional, he abandoned the custom.
- This Father of Modern Surgery was far ahead of his time. He created implantation procedures, using the technique not only for teeth but artificial limbs and “artificial eyes made of gold and silver.
”This famed father of medicine also invented many scientific instruments still in use today.
Thanks to the Famed Fathers of Medicine
Now you know the stories of at least three of the historically Famed Fathers of Medicine. As Father’s Day approaches you can add them to your list of fathers to appreciate. Your personal father figures in your private life are your famed fathers by blood or heart.
However, the doctors in this article, the Famed Fathers of Medicine, are not your fathers by blood, but rather by history and legend.
Thus, you enjoy their gifts as you enjoy the brilliant medical developments and longer lifespan of the 21st century.
Terrific Take-Aways and Trivia Trends for Your Famed Fathers on Father’s Day
Happy Father’s Day to You and Your Family From FLASS and the Famed Fathers of Medicine.
As we have blogged previously, we have our own special tributes planned for our protectors, mentors, and father figures for June 18, 2023.
Our society will be putting time and money into the actual gifts, from ties to trucks on this Father’s Day. However, the gifts would not be special enough if presented alone.
Let’s look at the budget for sub-categories and trimmings, from gift bags to celebratory meals:
$467 million was spent on gifts.
$140 million was spent on food and drink.
$52 million on cards and wraps.
As we celebrate our own fathers and the famed fathers of medicine, FLASS takes this opportunity to wish you and your family the absolute best Father’s Day week.