# The greatest breakthroughs in the history of medicine

From Jenner's vaccine to anaesthesia, from germ theory to penicillin, and on to DNA, CRISPR and mRNA vaccines: the discoveries that have lengthened our lives. Which one is the most important?

- 21 votes · 24 items
- Oct 13, 2025 · geek_bari
- https://even.best/en/l/2954/the-greatest-breakthroughs-in-the-history-of-medicine

## Top 24

1. **Aspirin (1897)** (3 · ▲3 ▼0) — Synthesised by Felix Hoffmann.
2. **Insulin (1921)** (2 · ▲2 ▼0) — Banting and Best: diabetes stops being a death sentence.
3. **Vesalius's anatomy (1543)** (1 · ▲1 ▼0) — The first systematic study of the human body.
4. **Antiseptic surgery (1840s–1860s)** (1 · ▲1 ▼0) — Semmelweis, handwashing and Lister.
5. **Germ theory** (1 · ▲1 ▼0) — Pasteur and Koch: each disease has its microbe.
6. **X-rays (1895)** (1 · ▲1 ▼0) — Röntgen and the first radiographs.
7. **Penicillin (1928)** (1 · ▲1 ▼0) — Fleming and the first antibiotic.
8. **Open-heart surgery (1950s)** (1 · ▲1 ▼0) — John Gibbon's heart-lung machine.
9. **The contraceptive pill (1960)** (1 · ▲1 ▼0) — Pincus, Chang and Rock.
10. **HIV and antiretrovirals** (1 · ▲1 ▼0) — From discovering the virus to the treatments that keep it in check.
11. **CRISPR (2012)** (1 · ▲1 ▼0) — Doudna and Charpentier: scissors for editing genes.
12. **The smallpox vaccine (1796)** (0 · ▲1 ▼1) — Edward Jenner and cowpox.
13. **Vitamins (1910s)** (0 · ▲1 ▼1) — Casimir Funk and nutritional science.
14. **Van Leeuwenhoek's microorganisms (1670s)** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — The first to see bacteria under the microscope.
15. **Anaesthesia (1846)** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — William Morton's ether made painless surgery possible.
16. **Blood groups (1901)** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — Karl Landsteiner made transfusions safe.
17. **The electrocardiogram (1903)** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — Willem Einthoven measures the heartbeat.
18. **Chemotherapy (1940s)** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — Sidney Farber and the first cancer drugs.
19. **The DNA double helix (1953)** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — Watson, Crick, Franklin and Wilkins.
20. **Polio vaccines (1955–1961)** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — Salk and Sabin.
21. **MRI (1970s)** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — Lauterbur and Mansfield.
22. **Organ transplantation (1954)** (-1 · ▲0 ▼1) — Joseph Murray and the first successful kidney transplant.
23. **The Human Genome Project (1990–2003)** (-1 · ▲0 ▼1) — The complete map of our DNA.
24. **mRNA vaccines (2020–2021)** (-1 · ▲0 ▼1) — The technology behind the COVID-19 vaccines.

How is this ranking ordered? By people's votes: each ▲ adds a point and each ▼ takes one away. Anyone can vote and add what is missing.