Medical milestones, landmark publications, and notable births and deaths associated with June 1.
Events
1889 – At the Société de Biologie in Paris, Charles-Édouard Brown-Séquard (1817–1894) reported self-injecting an “elixir” made from crushed fresh animal testis (dog/guinea-pig), and a filtrate of blood, tissue and semen. He claimed dramatic “rejuvenating” effects including improved stamina, “intellectual labour,” urinary stream, and bowel function. This sparked an international craze for the so-called Brown-Séquard Elixir.
In one of the earliest widely reported “doping” anecdotes, baseball pitcher Jim “Pud” Galvin was said to have been a subject in a Pittsburgh test of the Brown-Séquard elixir:
If there still be doubting Thomases who concede no virtue to the elixir, they are respectfully referred to Galvin’s record in yesterday’s Boston-Pittsburgh game. It is the best proof yet furnished of the values of the discovery.
Washington Post, August 14, 1889
Births
1840 – Jules Cotard (1840-1889), French neurologist and psychiatrist; described Cotard Syndrome (1882) [Cotard delusion]
1933 – John Adrian Fox (1933-2018), English General and Vascular surgeon; described Fox’s sign (1966)
Deaths
1738 – Caspar Bartholin the Younger (1655-1738), Danish physician; described Bartholin glands (1677) and Bartholin duct (1677)
1795 – Pierre-Joseph Desault (1738-1795), French surgeon; early description of Colles fracture (1801)
1913 – Frederick Forchheimer (1853-1913), American pediatrician; described Forchheimer spots (1898)
Further reading
- Brown-Séquard CE. Des effets produits chez l’homme par des injections sous-cutanées d’un liquide retiré des testicules frais de cobaye et de chien. Comptes rendus de la Société de biologie. 1889;41:415-419 419-422 451-454 and 454-455
- Brown-Séquard CE. Note on the effects produced on man by subcutaneous injections of a liquid obtained from the testicles of animals. Lancet 1889: 134(3438): 105-107
- Baseball notes. The Washington Post, Wed, 14 August, 1889
BA MA (Oxon) MBChB (Edin) FACEM FFSEM. Emergency physician, Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital. Passion for rugby; medical history; medical education; and asynchronous learning #FOAMed evangelist. Co-founder and CTO of Life in the Fast lane | On Call: Principles and Protocol 4e| Eponyms | Books |