We haven’t been left behind in Medical breakthroughs here in Australia with some great inventions and procedures coming from our sunny shores, here’s a list of some of them.
- Anthrax Vaccine – John McGarvie Smith secretly discovered this and donated it to the NSW Government before he died.
- Heart Pacemaker – A doctor who wished to remain anonymous invented the original pacemaker in 1926.
- Zinc Cream – This white sun block made from zinc oxide was developed by the Fauldings Pharmaceutical Company in 1940.
- Redback Spider Antivenom – released for use against the poisonous bite of the redback spider in 1956.
- Plastic Spectacle Lenses – were designed in 1960 and were the world’s first plastic lenses for spectacles weighing 60% less than glass lenses.
- Ultrasound – the first ultrasound scanner was built in 1961 by Australian Scientists at the Commonwealth Health Departments.
- Latex Gloves – though the Ansell company had been making household gloves since 1925, in 1964 they came up with disposable latex gloves for use in surgery.
- Polyvalent Snake Antivenom – was created in 1968 and is a snake antivenom which acts against the poison from most Australian snakes.
- Microsurgery Pioneered – not only did Professor Earl Owen design the first microsurgery tools with Zeiss, he also performed the first microsurgery operation where he rejoined an amputated index finger in 1970.
- Bionic Ear – 1979 saw the Cochlear Implant, which helped the hearing impaired and profoundly deaf.
- Reading Machine for the Blind – invented in 1990 and also a world first.
Flu Vaccine Redenza – the world’s first anti-influenza drug developed in 1996 and approved for release in Australia, Europe and the USA in 2000. - Night and Day Contact Lenses – developed in 1999 which allowed more oxygen to get to the eye allowing people to wear them for up to 30 days and nights.
