What Makes America Great (Pt 3/6): American Medical Care and Innovations

Americans have produced more medical breakthroughs, advancements, and innovations than any other nation. These have been a great benefit to mankind.

“While there are many opinions about our nation’s health care system, there’s one overwhelming area of consensus — the United States has and continues to lead the world in medical innovation.”

Top Quality Medical Care

The U.S. leads the world in the quality of medical care.  The super-rich fly to America for treatment. Frustrated Canadians and others with socialized/government medicine, tired of endless waiting for treatment, cross the border to get timely care.

Best Hospitals

America has the best hospitals in the world. Of the top six hospitals in the world four are in the U.S. Mayo Clinic (1), Cleveland Clinic (2), John Hopkins (4), Massachusetts General (6))

Best Doctors

The U.S. has the produced the best doctors in the world. The U.S. has the most award-winning and world-famous doctors. More Americans (94) have won the Nobel Prize for Medicine, far more than any other country.

“The US takes the crown on our list of the top 10 countries with the best doctors in the world. The US may be the butt of jokes when it comes to expensive healthcare. But make no mistake, the country is a powerhouse in the field of medicine.”

Best Advanced Medical Technology

The U.S. doctors and hospitals have the best advanced medical technology at their disposal.

American Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) was developed by American doctors, scientists, and engineers.  MRI allows doctors to look inside any area of the body. Previously, doctors relied on invasive and risky exploratory surgery where they sliced open the patient and poked around to see what they could find.

Of course, “You get what you pay for.” “There is no free lunch.” Used low-field MRI machines cost up to $1.2 million. A state-of-the-art Tesla MRI machine goes for $3 million.  Moreover, the room that houses the machine, called an MRI suite, can cost hundreds of thousands more.  Because of the expense, hospitals use the MRI close to 24/7.

American Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR)

CPR (Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation) was developed by an American doctor. CPR is an emergency lifesaving procedure performed when the heart stops beating, because of electric shock, heart attack, cardiac arrest, or drowning. CPR combines rescue breathing and chest compressions. Immediate CPR can double or triple chances of survival after cardiac arrest. The American Heart Association estimates that CPR could save up to 200,000 lives per year.

American Statin Based Drugs

Another American innovation is statin-based drugs like Lipitor. Statins are a class of drugs that lowers the level of cholesterol in the blood by reducing the production of cholesterol by the liver. These drugs help prevent heart attack and stroke.  Lipitor is the bestselling drug of all time at $12 billion a year.

Partial List of American Medical Innovations

1752: Flexible urinary catheter (B. Franklin)

1784: Bifocal eyeglasses (B. Franklin)
1844: Nitrous oxide as a dental anesthetic
1849: Ether as a general anesthesia during surgery
1879: First vaccine for cholera
1881: First vaccine for anthrax
1882: First vaccine for rabies
1896: First vaccine for typhoid fever
1897: First vaccine for plague
1907: First successful blood transfusion using ABO blood-typing technique

1913: First use of EKG (electrocardiograph) monitor hearts
1922: Insulin first used to treat diabetes
1923: First vaccine for diphtheria
1926: First vaccine for pertussis (whooping cough)
1927: First vaccine for tuberculosis
1927: First vaccine for tetanus
1933: CPR
1935: First vaccine for yellow fever
1937: First vaccine for typhus
1942: The first dose of penicillin is given
1945: First vaccine for influenza
1952: First cardiac pacemaker
1953: First successful open-heart surgery
1954: First kidney transplant

1955: First polio vaccine
1962: First oral polio vaccine
1964: First vaccine for measles
1967: First vaccine for mumps
1970: First vaccine for rubella
1974: First vaccine for chicken pox
1977: First vaccine for pneumonia
1978: First vaccine for meningitis
1978: MRI
1981: First vaccine for hepatitis B
1983: Scientists identify HIV, the virus that causes AIDs

1984: Lipitor and statin-based drugs
1992: First vaccine for hepatitis A
1998: First vaccine for Lyme disease
2000: Human Genome Map begin discovery of what out 23,000 genes do
2007: First use human skin cells to create embryonic stem cells

The benefit to mankind of U.S. medical breakthroughs and innovations is beyond measure. America has and produces the best doctors.  The U.S. has the best hospitals.  America has created and uses the best medical technology.  America had made more medical breakthroughs that any other nation.  No other nation has had such a positive impact on the world in medicine.   This is another reason why America is so great.

(See: “MCI,” “CPR,” “Statin Drugs,” “Medical Tourism,” Wikipedia;” “Countries that Produce the Best Doctors in the World,” American Journal of Medicine, Jul 15, 2018, “World’s Best Hospitals,” Newsweek;” “American Medical Advancements,” Univ. of Medicine and Health Science, Jul 3, 2013; “7 Countries that Produce the Best Doctors in the World,” Jasmin Cilas, Mar 2, 2016)

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