1500
First reported successful Cesarean section (mother and child surviving) performed by Jacob Nufer.
1701
First successful ovariotomy by Robert Houstoun.
1795
Pueperal sepsis first proposed to be due to infectious contagion as a result of observational, epidemiologic study in Aberdeen, Scotland by Alexander Gordon.
1809
First ovarian cystectomy (Danville, Kentucky) by Ephraim McDowell.
1812
First recorded vaginal hysterectomy (performed accidentally and unplanned) by Palletta.
1813
First modern, documented total vaginal hysterectomy (though certainly not the first) by C.J.M. Langenbeck.
1825
First ever blood transfusion, performed for postpartum hemorrhage by James Blundell.
1827
Fetal heart tone auscultated for the first time by John Creery Ferguson.
1833
First detailed account of fetal heart tones made by Evory Kennedy.
1843
First abdominal hysterectomy (the patient died) by Charles Clay.
1846
Ether first administered to a woman in labor by Crawford Williamson Long.
1847
Puerperal fever shown to be caused by infectious contagion through interventional trial proving that it could be prevented by Ignaz Semmelweis.
1847
Chloroform first used as an anesthetic, used during labor by James Young Simpson.
1849
Vesicovaginal fistula successfully treated with surgery by James Marion Sims.
1853
First successful adbominal hysterectomy by Walter Burnham.
1853
First successful, planned abdominal hysterectomy by Gilman Kimbell.
1866
First human artificial insemination by James Marion Sims.
1869
First operative hysteroscopy performed by D. Commander Pantaleoni.
1872
First bilateral oopherectomy for menorrhagia by Robert Lawson Tait.
1872
First oopherectomy for sepsis by Robert Lawson Tait.
1876
First successful Cesarean Hysterectomy by Edoardo Porro.
1878
First cholecystotomy (patient died) by James Marion Sims.
1879
First successful cholecystotomy by Robert Lawson Tait.
1880
First removal of hydatid cyst by Robert Lawson Tait.
1880
First intentional appendectomy for acute appendicitis by Robert Lawson Tait.
1882
Classical Cesarean Section technique (including closing myotomy) first described by Max Sänger.
1883
First successful salpingectomy for ectopic pregnancy by Robert Lawson Tait.
1890
First successful series of vaginal cesarean sections reported by Alfred Duhrssen.
1894
Use of rubber gloves in surgery popularized by Hunter Robb.
1898
First successful radical abdominal hysterectomy for cervical cancer by Ernst Wertheim.
1900
Spinal anesthesia first used in labor by Oskar Kreis.
1900
Transverse skin and fascial incision reported by Hermann Pfannenstiel.
1901
Epidural anesthesia first used in labor by Walter Stoeckel.
1921
First successful laparoscopy performed (through incision in vaginal fornix) by Dimitri Oh.
1936
Sulphonamides first used to treat puerperal fever in Queen Charlotte's Hospital by Leonard Colebrook.
1941
First screening test for cancer introduced (for cervical cancer) by George Nicholas Papanicolau.
1942
Penicillin first used successfully in a human patient, Anne Miller, to treat septic abortion by Orvan Hess.
1943
Clinical efficacy and pharmicokinetics of Penicillin established (originally for treatment of syphilis) by Wallace E. Herrell.
1944
Modern laparoscopy technique introduced (insufflation, Trendelenburg position, etc.) by Raoul Palmer.
1953
Oxytocin synthesized (the first posterior pituitary hormone synthesized) by Vincent du Vingeaud.
1958
Ultrasound developed (originally for obstetric use) by Ian Donald.
1960
Automatic insufflator invented for laparoscopy by Kurt Semm.
1978
In vitro fertilization first performed successfully by Patrick Steptoe.
1987
First laparascopic cholecystectomy performed (during a gynecologic laparoscopy) by Philippe Mouret.