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.

Wednesday, March 18, 2026

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THE STORY OF SAFE MILK Milk “is usually drawn… from cows which often have flaking excrement all over their flanks, by milkmen ...

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Tuesday, February 17, 2026

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THE BIRTH OF NUCLEAR MEDICINE: RADIOIODINE The decade of the 1930s was a heady time in the world of physics. Among other achi...

Tuesday, January 13, 2026

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THE NÉLATON PROBE: GARIBALDI’S ANKLE AND OTHER TALES In 1862, Guiseppi Garibaldi, the Italian patriot intent on uniting It...

Monday, November 17, 2025

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WILLIAM BEAN: WINNER OF 2025 IG NOBEL PRIZE You may have heard of an interesting publication entitled the Journal of Improbab...

Tuesday, October 14, 2025

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

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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

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