List of physicians

List of Physicians is a comprehensive enumeration of medical professionals who have made significant contributions to the field of medicine throughout history. This list includes individuals from various specialties within medicine, such as surgery, internal medicine, pediatrics, and psychiatry, among others. Physicians play a crucial role in diagnosing, treating, and preventing illnesses, thereby improving the quality of life for individuals and communities. The following is a non-exhaustive list of notable physicians who have left an indelible mark on the medical profession.

Ancient Physicians

• Hippocrates - Often referred to as the "Father of Medicine," Hippocrates was a Greek physician who established a medical school on the island of Kos. He is credited with the Hippocratic Oath, a guiding principle for ethics in the medical profession.
• Galen - A prominent Greek physician, surgeon, and philosopher in the Roman Empire who significantly influenced the development of various medical disciplines. His theories dominated European medicine for over a millennium.

Middle Ages

• Avicenna (Ibn Sina) - A Persian polymath who made significant contributions to various fields, including medicine. His most famous work, The Canon of Medicine, served as a standard medical text at many medieval universities.
• Maimonides (Moses ben Maimon) - A Jewish physician and philosopher in Andalusia, Morocco, and Egypt, known for his work in philosophy, astronomy, and medicine, particularly his writings on Jewish law and ethics.

Renaissance to Early Modern Period

• Andreas Vesalius - A Belgian anatomist and physician, whose work De humani corporis fabrica (On the Fabric of the Human Body) corrected many misconceptions in anatomy and laid the foundations for modern human anatomy.
• Ambroise Paré - A French barber surgeon who made significant improvements in surgical techniques and introduced new surgical instruments. He is often referred to as the father of modern surgery.

19th Century

• Ignaz Semmelweis - A Hungarian physician known as an early pioneer of antiseptic procedures. His work demonstrated the importance of handwashing to prevent puerperal fever.
• Joseph Lister - A British surgeon who promoted the idea of sterile surgery by introducing carbolic acid (phenol) to sterilize surgical instruments and clean wounds.

20th Century

• Alexander Fleming - A Scottish biologist, pharmacologist, and botanist known for discovering the enzyme lysozyme and the antibiotic substance penicillin.
• Virginia Apgar - An American obstetrical anesthesiologist, best known for developing the Apgar Score, a quick and simple way to assess the health of newborns immediately after birth.

Contemporary

• Ben Carson - A retired American neurosurgeon and politician. Known for his groundbreaking work in separating conjoined twins and his contributions to neurosurgery.
• Atul Gawande - An American surgeon, writer, and public health researcher. He has written extensively on medicine and public health, advocating for a systemic approach to healthcare.

See Also

• Medical ethics
• History of medicine
• List of medical specialties