Science, Health, and Medicine

Science, Health/Medicine The 1980s was a huge breakthrough for science and medicine. A lot of drugs were invented and medical procedures were carried out for the first time. Some of the medicinal inventions were: * 1980, the hepatitis-B vaccine. * 1982, human growth hormone genetically engineered. * 1983, Soft bifocal contact lens invented. * 1986, Synthetic skin invented by G. Gregory Gallico, III. * 1987, the introduction of Prozac; it transformed the treatment of depression. * 1989, The RU-486 (abortion pill) invented. In 1982, the first ever artificial human heart, made by Dr.Robert Jarvik, was implanted into Barney Clark; he survived for 112 days. In 1984, in the Loma Linda Medical Center, baby Faye's heart is explanted and replaced with a baboon heart. She survived for 3 weeks but died of a kidney infection which could or could have not have been caused by the new heart her body might have been rejecting. Stephanie Fae Beauclair Stephanie Fae Beauclair In 1984, researchers iden tified the virus that caused AIDS as HIV and in 1986, it was recognised that AIDS was transmitted through heterosexual contact as well as homosexual contact. Test tube baby (In vitro fertilisation)In vitro fertilisation is a process where the egg is fertilised by the sperm outside of the body in a test tube and is a procedure that is used for people who aren’t able to have a baby the natural way. Once the egg has been fertilised outside the body, it is transferred into the uterus so that it can have a natural birth like any other baby. Even though the first in vitro baby was born in 1978, the number of IVF babies had risen in the 80s because of huge improvements to the treatment. Australia’s first IVF baby was born in 1980, USA’s in 1981 and in Sweden and France, 1982.