History of Medicine

THE BAY AREA HISTORY OF MEDICINE SOCIETY, in San Francisco, presents this site as a venue for short essays and comments on medical history. I will post entries fairly regularly and invite others to do the same. Comments are welcome. There is no limit to periods of history, but factual entries will benefit from references.

Tuesday, October 14, 2025

›

MEASLES VACCINATION: OLD AND NEW In 1824, King Kamehameha II of Hawaii and his queen embarked on a near-six-month journey to E...

Tuesday, September 16, 2025

›

LEPROSY IN THE AMERICAN MIDWEST Leprosy in the Midwest? How was that possible? It entered from Scandinavia, predominan...

Wednesday, August 13, 2025

›

TALES OF THE FIRST CHOLERA VACCINE “The bacteriologist called upon me to take off my coat and bare my arms to above t...

Tuesday, July 15, 2025

›

THE ROYAL MINERAL WATER HOSPITAL AT BATH Romans loved bathing, and shortly after 50 AD they founded a bathing city, “Aquae Solis” (water...

Monday, June 16, 2025

›

THE FAME OF PADUA In the fifteenth to seventeenth centuries, students from all over Europe seeking the best education, especia...

›

Home

View web version

Blog editor: Gordon Frierson MD

Gordon Frierson MD: I am a retired physician with a background in infectious and tropical diseases. I am currently interested in medical history, the study of the rich heritage of our profession, and anxious to make this heritage available to a wider audience. Clinical Professor Emeritus University of California San Francisco and Member Bay Area History of Medicine Society

View my complete profile