This document provides a brief overview of important advancements in medical technology from 1250 to present day. Some key developments include: Roger Bacon building the first convex lens magnifying glass for scientific purposes in 1250; René Laënnec inventing the stethoscope in 1816 to better listen to heart sounds; and Wilhelm Röntgen discovering X-rays in 1895, allowing doctors to see inside the body. More recent innovations include the first MRI process being patented in 1978, Dolly the Sheep becoming the first mammal cloned from an adult cell in 1996, and the first bionic eye prosthetic called Argus II being approved for use in 2007. The document traces technological progress in areas like imaging, organ transplantation

1. MEDICAL
TECHNOLOGY
THROUGH THE YEARS
1250
The first magnifying
glass with a convex lens
designed specifically for
scientific purposes is built
by Roger Bacon.
Here’s a brief look at some important advancements
in medical technology over the years:
1816
French doctor René
Laënnec invents the
stethoscope to better
listen to a patient’s heart.
1895
German physicist
Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen
discovers the X-ray.
1924
Dr. Hans Berger of
Germany records the first
electroencephalogram,
providing the first
recording of the human
brain’s electrical impulses.
1943
Dutch physician Willem
J. Kolff builds the first
dialysis machine during
the Nazi occupation of
the Netherlands.
1949
The first permanent
intraocular lens is
implanted in a human
eye to correct a cataract.
1954
The first successful
kidney transplant is
performed by a team
of surgeons in Boston.
1965
The first portable
defibrillator, powered
by car batteries,
is installed in an
ambulance in
Northern Ireland.
1978
The MRI process is
patented by Dr. Raymond
V. Damadian.
1996
The first mammal cloned
from an adult cell, Dolly
the Sheep, is born.
2004
The first adaptive artificial
knee is produced.
2007
Argus II, the first bionic
eye prosthetic approved for
commercial use in Europe
and the United States,
is developed.
1842
The first surgery
performed under
anesthesia is performed
when Dr. Crawford Long
uses an ether-soaked
towel to put a patient to
sleep before removing
two tumors from his neck.
1910
The first laparoscopy
procedure on a human
is performed by Swedish
internist Dr. Hans
Christian Jacobaeus,
who drains fluid from
a patient’s abdomen
by puncturing the
abdominal wall.
1936
Dr. Albert S. Hyman
introduces the first
pacemaker for the
human heart.
1947
Surgeon Claude Beck
performs the first
successful cardiac
defibrillation, reviving a
14-year-old boy during
heart surgery.
1952
Dr. Forest Dodrill uses
the first artificial heart
during surgery while
repairing a patient’s
mitral valve.
1967
South African surgeon
Dr. Christiaan Barnard
performs the first human
heart transplant.
1992
Automated DNA
sequencing is patented
by Dr. Leroy Hood.
2000
The Human Genome
Project begins mapping
the human genome,
completing the project
three years later.
2005
French doctor
Jean-Michel Dubernard
performs the first-ever
partial face transplant.
2014
Liver tissues are
successfully created in
a laboratory using 3D
bioprinting technology.
1958
Ultrasound is utilized
for the first time
to monitor the
heartbeat of a fetus
in the womb.
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