REWIND THROUGH A CENTURY OF CURES

 

 1900 Karl Landsteiner discovered the ABO blood-group system and in doing so solved the puzzle as to why some blood transfusions worked and others didn't. Until this, whether you received the correct blood type was a matter of luck.
 1911 Marie Curie was awarded the Nobel Prize for chemistry in recognition of her discovery and isolation of the elements of radium and polonium.
 1912 Biochemist Casimir Funk discovered that small amounts of certain organic compounds were needed by the body for normal metabolism and growth. The term he gave to these vital substances were 'vitamins'.
 1921 Percy Lane Oliver set up the first blood donor bureau in Britain. Each donor was tested for blood group and syphilis and their name was recorded in a phone log ready to be called to the hospital in case of emergency. The service was provided free of charge.
 1922 Insulin was discovered by Canadian Sir Frederick Banting and the first pilot tests on humans were begun.
 1923 The first tuberculosis vaccine, developed from previous work carried out by Louis Pasteur, was given to a human.
 1928 Alexander Flemming discovered penicillin, the antibiotic that has proved so effective against deadly bacterial diseases such as tetanus and meningitis. George Papanicolaou invented the smear test, which has helped to save the lives of thousands of women.
 1949 The National Health Service was launched after two world wars. This meant that healthcare, glasses and dentistry were available to the whole population, not just the rich.
 1967 Professor Christian Barnard carried out the first heart transplant. The patient survived for 18 days. In Britain, there are now around 400 heart transplants performed annually.
 1978 Louise Brown was born. She was the first baby conceived in a test-tube. At the time, the event caused an outcry but now IVF is an accepted method of fertility treatment.
1998  After many hours of intricate-precision surgery, doctors in New Zealand complete the first successful hand transplant.