Increase text size: A A A

Type in the condition you need,
or visit Advanced Search


More than a century of
Johns Hopkins breakthroughs

Since 1889, Johns Hopkins has stood at the forefront of modern medicine, speeding the transfer of new knowledge from the laboratory to the patient's bedside. Health After 50 takes it the next step, delivering the news directly to your home.


1897 – First American use of X-rays in surgery

1913 – First model of renal dialysis

1915 – Discovery of heparin, the drug used to prevent blood clots during heart surgery

1944 – First "blue baby" operation ushers in the era of heart surgery

1958 – CPR used for the first time

1960s – Pioneering work bone marrow transplantation

1969 – First use of laser to prevent blindness

1971 – First total knee replacement

1978 – Johns Hopkins scientists win Nobel Prize for discovery of restriction enzymes

1982 – Nerve-sparing surgery for prostate cancer

1984 – First use of genetically engineered t-PA to stop a heart attack

1998 – Discovery of a genetic alteration with potential to help predict new colon cancers before they begin

2000 – First use of stem cell grafts to restore movement to paralyzed limbs of animals, a major advance in overcoming paralysis in humans

2000 – Identified key enzyme in brain that forms a hallmark of Alzheimer's disease

2003 – Johns Hopkins physician wins the Nobel Prize for discovery of aquaporins

2004 – Created new surgical technique even less invasive than standard laparoscopy

© 2010 MediZine LLC.
All rights reserved.