American Decades

Important Events in Medicine and Health, 1920–1929

University of Rochester scientist George Whipple cures anemia in dogs by feeding them raw liver. His work on the cause and treatment of anemia would win him the 1934 Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine.
Phenobarbital (discovered in 1911) is introduced in the treatment of epilepsy.
Harvey Cushing pioneers new techniques in brain surgery.

In January, German psychologist Hermann Rorschach introduces the inkblot test for the study of personality.
In February, James Collip isolates pure insulin.
In May, British physician Alexander Fleming discovers an antibacterial substance, lysozyme, in saliva, mucus, and tears.
In May, the first American birth control conference convenes in New York City.
In July, Franklin Delano Roosevelt contracts polio. Throughout his political career he will hide his ailment from the public, doing nothing to...

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