Top 10 Most Important Medicines and Scientists of the 20th Century

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10OF THE 20TH
CENTURY
MEDICINES
MOST IMPORTANT
Trying to compile a list of the most important medications of the 20th century is
not as easy as it might seem. How do you deﬁne important? How large was its
social impact? Is the medication still being used today? For this list, we focused
on medications and the scientists that have saved lives. Here are our top 10:

10 MOST IMPORTANT MEDICINES OF THE 20TH CENTURY
SMALLPOX VACCINE
1
Technically discovered in 1796 by Edward Jenner.
Jenner’s vaccinations were used during the 19th
century in Europe and North America, but the
disease continued to cause devastation worldwide,
with an estimated 300-500 million deaths during
the 20th
century. A worldwide vaccination program
by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 1967
helped ensure eradication of the disease.
Last known natural case: 1977 in Somalia.
Edward Jenner

75% 2
PENICILLIN
Developed by Sir Alexander Fleming in 1928,
penicillin has changed the face of modern
medicine and modern society.
(est.) of today’s population
would not be alive without penicillin
having existed to save the lives of
their parents or grandparents(2)
.
Alexander
Fleming

The WHO hopes the disease will be completely
eradicated by 2018.
John Enders
Jonas Salk
POLIO VACCINE
3
In the 1940s and 1950s, poliomyelitis was
widespread. Children who contract the virus, in its
worst cases, suffer muscle weakness, deformity,
and paralysis. John Enders discovered the polio
virus (and won the Nobel Prize for his work).
Shortly thereafter, Jonas Salk developed the vaccine.

4
MEASLES VACCINE
1954: Thomas Peebles isolated the virus.
1963: The ﬁrst vaccine was licensed.
1971: The now common MMR combination
vaccine was introduced. Although considered
eliminated in the US in 2000, outbreaks
continue to occur, largely as a result of
overseas travel and failure to vaccinate.
Thomas Peebles

Dr. Frederick
Grant Banting
Charles Best
INSULIN
5
First identiﬁed by Dr. Frederick Grant Banting and
his assistant Charles Best in 1921, insulin has not
only changed the lives of those who suffer from
diabetes, previously known as “the sugar sickness”.
Its discovery also paved the way for the later develop-
ment of various hormone-replacement therapies.

6
ASPIRIN
1763: Aspirin’s active ingredient, salicylic acid, was ﬁrst
discovered by Edward Stone.
1897: The drug was synthesized for mass production by
Bayer as analgesic.
In 1971, British pharmacologist John Robert Vane showed
aspirin suppressed the production of prostaglandins and
thromboxanes; which meant acetylsalicylic acid helped
prevent heart attacks and strokes. For this discovery he
was awarded the 1982 Nobel Prize.
Sir John
Robert Vane

CHEMOTHERAPY DRUGS
7
Paul Erlich developed Salvarsan and, in 1910,
introduced it as a treatment for syphilis. Salvarsan
worked by introducing a toxin to the patient’s system,
one that would make them very sick but would
eventually help their body’s immune system ﬁght back,
thereby avoiding the much more severe consequences
of syphilis. As such, it opened the door to the
development of many of today’s chemotherapy drugs.
Paul Erlich

8
ANTIVIRALS
Penicillin and its antibiotic offspring helped in
fighting bacterial infections, but viral infections
remain much harder to fight. William Prussof, a
pharmacologist, was an early innovator in antiviral
drugs, idoxuridine, the first antiviral agent
approved by the FDA. The firt antiviral drugs were
intended to fight the herpes virus. This has led to
treatments for hepatitis and influenza, although
antiviral agents are constantly battling to remain
effective as viruses mutate.
William Prusoff

AZIDOTHYMIDINE (AZT)
9
The first U.S. government-approved treatment for
HIV, AZT helps slow the replication of the HIV
virus and can prevent transmission.
1964: Jerome P. Horwitz, a scientific researcher,
first synthesized the chemical compound AZT.
1987: AZT arrived on the market in and it was a
huge breakthrough in the fight against AIDS.
While the search for a cure continues, AZT and
fellow antiretroviral drugs remain key in prolonging
quality and quantity of life in those with HIV.
Jerome Horwitz

10
DIGOXIN
Discovered by William Withering in the 18th
century, Digoxin is used to treat patients who suffer
from congestive heart failure. The drug has
improved the lives of many people and allows them
to feel better and do more activities. Many safer
heart disease medications are now on the market,
but doctors agree that this was a key breakthrough.
William Withering

Of course this list is by no means complete. There are many drugs on this list which may not
overly save lives but which have changed the nature of modern medicine and of society.
Where would we be without the birth control pill?
The huge range of antidepressant and psychiatric drugs?
The anesthetic and antiseptics that have saved lives and made surgery safer?
The inﬂuenza and whooping cough vaccines only just missed inclusion in the top ten, as did
SSRIs (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors – a key breakthrough in the treatment of mental
illness and depression).
Let us not also discount the importance of corticosteroids, which can be used to treat a host
of issues, from skin diseases to asthma.
Do you think we left an important medicine off of our list? Let us know which medicine
should have made the list and why?

Original URL:
www.druglawsuitsource.com/top-10-most-important-medicines-of-the-20th-century
Sources:
World Health Organization: www.who.int/en
American Diabetes Association: www.diabetes.org
Scientiﬁc American: www.scientiﬁcamerican.com
Mayo Clinic: www.mayoclinic.org

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Top 10 Most Important Medicines and Scientists of the 20th Century

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