medical history has always been an interest of mine. whether or not you'd class it worthy of this thread is down to this individual, however advances throughout history have an impact on how we live our lives today
Joseph Lister, prominent 19th century surgeon and pioneer of antiseptic surgery. used carbolic acid as an antiseptic on wounds and bandages after surgery, bringing the post-op death toll down a significant amount. unfortunately for him and probably many patients his advances were originally ignored as carbolic acid irritated the lungs of surgeons and cracked the skin, which they obviously weren't very fond of.
Hippocrates. One of the first major physicians to make a contribution to the medical field, challenging the belief that disease and illness was caused by the Gods, something which was almost suicidal at the time. He also is accredited to creating the Hippocratic Oath, which describes the ethics of medical care - which contemporary healthcare workers vow to even today.
Louis Pasteur. A French microbiologist in the 19th century, he is best recognised for his research into microbial life and for disproving the theory of spontaneous generation in regards to disease. After discovering that microorganisms were responsible for spoiling certain wines and milk, he invented the process of pasteurisation, also still used to this day.
Andreas Vesalius, a 16th century anatomist, and arguably one of the most important medical figures in history. He challenged multiple of Galen's anatomical theories, and is also highly recognised for his findings on the skeletal, cardiac, nervous and respiratory systems - all of which(once they were no longer condemned by the church) contributed staggeringly to surgical techniques both at the time and in the modern medical world.
Edward Jenner, far more notorious in history than those above. In short, he was responsible for creating the worlds very first vaccine, after extensive testing with innoculations and inhalation of pulverised cowpox lesions. I won't go into detail here as most people are aware how vaccinations work, however millions of lives are saved each year as a result of this mans findings.
of course there is far more that these fine men accomplished in their lives however this was simply a summary of their main discoveries. there are also many more influential figures in medical history who contributed a great deal however they can be researched at a different time, i.e robert koch, william harvey and harold gillies
a bit of a different post but i feel like these people and medical history as a whole deserves its 15 minutes of fame in this thread as opposed to conflict or politics