On March 15, 1937, the first blood bank was formed in Chicago at the Cook County Hospital. The goal of the bank was to collect, store, process, and supply vital blood to those who need it. But why would a person need someone else’s blood? If someone has just undergone surgery or been injured, they may
Calendar of Cool: First Department of Space Medicine Established
On this day in, 1949 the first Department of Space Medicine was established. This day in 1949 the United States Air Force School of Aviation Medicine at Randolph Field, Texas established the first Department of Space Medicine, and Dr. Hubertus Strughold became its first professor. Strughold had already been the director of aeromedical research for
Calendar of Cool: First Open-Heart Surgery
This Wednesday, July 9, marks the 121st anniversary of the first open-heart surgery. A man with a knife in his chest was brought to Dr. Daniel Hale Williams at Provident Hospital in Chicago. Using no anesthesia, Dr. Williams removed the knife and repaired the heart of the patient, who lived for years after the procedure.