Medical Inventions — Set 6

Correct Answer: D. Albert Starr

• **Albert Starr** = first successfully implanted an artificial heart valve in a human in 1960. • **1960** — Albert Starr and Lowell Edwards developed and implanted the first successful prosthetic heart valve in a human. • 💡 Wrong-option analysis: [Nina Starr Braunwald]: performed the first successful mitral valve replacement in 1960, distinct from the Starr-Edwards valve invention; [Denton Cooley]: prominent cardiac surgeon, performed first artificial heart implant; [Michael DeBakey]: famous cardiac surgeon and innovator in vascular surgery.

Correct Answer: B. Christiaan Eijkman

• **Christiaan Eijkman** = discovered Vitamin B1 and its role in curing beriberi by observing chickens fed polished rice. • **1929** — Christiaan Eijkman received the Nobel Prize for his breakthrough in nutrition, identifying the link between diet and beriberi. • 💡 Wrong-option analysis: [Frederick Hopkins]: shared the Nobel Prize with Eijkman for discovering growth-stimulating vitamins; [Casimir Funk]: coined the term 'vitamine' and proposed the vitamin theory; [Umetaro Suzuki]: isolated and identified thiamine from rice bran in 1910, calling it aberic acid.

Correct Answer: B. Herbert Everest and Harry Jennings

• **Herbert Everest and Harry Jennings** = invented the first modern wheelchair with a foldable X-frame design. • **1933** — They built the first lightweight, folding wheelchair, which significantly increased independence for users. • 💡 Wrong-option analysis: [George Klein]: designed the first electric wheelchair in 1952; [Johann Hautsch]: developed a self-propelled chair in the 17th century; [Stephen Farffler]: invented a self-propelled chair in 1655 for his own use.

Correct Answer: D. Karl Landsteiner and Alexander Wiener

• **Karl Landsteiner and Alexander Wiener** = discovered the Rhesus (Rh) factor in human blood in 1940. • **1940** — Karl Landsteiner and Alexander Wiener discovered the Rh factor while testing the blood of Rhesus monkeys. • 💡 Wrong-option analysis: [Richard Lewisohn]: developed the citrate method for blood storage in 1915; [Paul Ehrlich]: pioneer in immunology, developed specific treatments for diseases; [Felix d'Herelle]: co-discovered bacteriophages.

Correct Answer: C. Gregory Pincus and Min Chueh Chang

• **Gregory Pincus and Min Chueh Chang** = primarily attributed to the invention of the modern birth control pill. • **1960** — The birth control pill was first approved for use in the United States, having a profound global impact on women's health. • 💡 Wrong-option analysis: [Katharine McCormick]: funded the research for the birth control pill; [Margaret Sanger]: a leading advocate for birth control and founder of Planned Parenthood; [John Rock]: the physician who conducted the first clinical trials of the pill.

Correct Answer: D. Maurice Hilleman

• **Maurice Hilleman** = developed the first successful vaccine against mumps in 1967. • **1967** — Maurice Hilleman developed the first successful mumps vaccine, isolating the virus from his own daughter. • 💡 Wrong-option analysis: [John Enders]: developed the measles vaccine; [Jonas Salk]: developed the first inactivated polio vaccine; [Albert Sabin]: developed the first oral polio vaccine.

Correct Answer: A. Willem Kolff

• **Willem Kolff** = performed the first successful kidney dialysis treatment on a human. • **1945** — Willem Kolff's first patient to survive dialysis was a 67-year-old woman, a breakthrough for acute kidney failure. • 💡 Wrong-option analysis: [John Abel]: created the first artificial kidney device in 1913; [Georg Haas]: performed the first human hemodialysis using a Kolff-like device in 1924; [Belding Scribner]: pioneered the Scribner shunt, allowing long-term access for hemodialysis.

Correct Answer: A. Henry Heimlich

• **Henry Heimlich** = developed the 'Heimlich Maneuver' to stop choking. • **1974** — Henry Heimlich published his abdominal thrust technique, which has since saved countless lives. • 💡 Wrong-option analysis: [Charles Mayo]: a founder of the Mayo Clinic; [William Osler]: a principal founder of modern clinical medicine; [Virginia Apgar]: created the Apgar score for newborns.

Correct Answer: C. Virginia Apgar

• **Virginia Apgar** = created the Apgar score, a quick method to assess the health of newborn babies. • **1952** — Virginia Apgar, an anesthesiologist, developed this scoring system which significantly improved infant survival rates. • 💡 Wrong-option analysis: [Marie Curie]: physicist and chemist, pioneer in radioactivity research; [Elizabeth Blackwell]: first woman to earn a medical degree in the US; [Florence Nightingale]: founder of modern nursing.

Correct Answer: D. John Gibbon

• **John Gibbon** = invented the first workable heart-lung machine in 1953. • **1953** — John Gibbon's invention allowed for the first successful open-heart surgery by taking over heart and lung functions. • 💡 Wrong-option analysis: [Clarence Dennis]: also worked on early heart-lung machines, but Gibbon's was the first successful one; [Mary Gibbon]: John Gibbon's wife, who assisted in his research and operated the machine during early trials; [Forest Bird]: known for inventing modern mechanical ventilators.