April 7th is World Health Day! Each year, World Health Day has a specific “theme” that focuses on a specific health topic of concern among people all over the world. This year, the theme is “together with health, stand with science.”
In honour of this year’s theme, we are going to be looking at some of the scientific medical breakthroughs that happened in London Ontario, and how they’ve bettered our healthcare as a result.
- In 1920, Frederick Banting awoke from sleep in his residence in London Ontario and wrote down a 25-word hypothesis for how to treat diabetes. His hypothesis proved successful, and led to the discovery of insulin
- In 1951, the Eldorado Cobalt-60 radiation technology, nicknamed the “Cobalt Bomb” was installed at London Health Science Centre (LHSC), making it the first major advancement in the radiation treatment of all cancers, aside from skin cancer. The technology doubles the survival rate for early-stage cervix patients, and benefits an estimated 35 million cancer patients
- In 1987, a team of LHSC cardiologists developed the world’s first pacemaker cardioverter defibrillator (PCD) using virtual reality technology. The new procedure only requires two to three x-rays, and significantly reduces x-ray needs during pacemaker implantation
Science keeps us moving forward—just like us at Yurek Pharmacy helping you feel better, right here at home.
By Wendy Yurek
