This Week in History: Medical/Social
1818 Birthday of Lucy Stone, early leader of the women’s rights movement
1819 Birthday of William Morton, the Massachusetts dentist who introduced ether
1840 Birthday of Richard von Krafft-Ebing, the German physician who pioneered the study of sexual disorders
1849 Birthday of nutritionist Horace Fletcher
1865 Birthday of Gifford Pinchot, who pioneered forest conservation in the U.S.
1867 While giving a lecture to the British Medical Association, Joseph Lister introduced the principle of antiseptic surgery
1912 Birthday of Julia Child, cookbook writer and TV personality: “The only real stumbling block is fear of failure. In cooking, you’ve got to have a what-the-hell attitude.”
1919 Andrew Carnegie died. He had spent the last ten years of his life devoted to philanthropic efforts.
1921 Franklin D. Roosevelt was vacationing when he became ill. The diagnosis: polio.
1921 The Veterans Bureau was founded.
1935 The Social Security Act was adopted.