MGH Milestones

MGH Milestones

1846	The use of ether as an anesthetic is demonstrated at the MGH. Surgery performed without pain for the first time.
1886	MGH physician is the first to recognize the true nature of appendicitis. Information paves the way for proper diagnosis and treatment.
1896	The first X ray image in the United States is made by an MGH physician just 30 days after the technique is discovered in Europe.
1905	The first medical social service department in a hospital is established at the MGH.
1925	The first tumor clinic founded for the study of cancer.
1942	In treating patients from the Coconut Grove fire, MGH physicians demonstrate efficacy of new approach to burn treatment and value of new blood bank and emergency plan.
1945	Researcher at the Vincent Memorial Hospital, the gynecology service of the MGH, perfects use of Pap smear to detect cervical cancer.
1960	Proton beam therapy is first used to treat tumors of the eye, neck and brain.
1962	MGH surgeons accomplish the first successful reattachment of a severed human limb.
1964	Research completed at the MGH makes practical for the first time the long-term storage of human blood.
1968	The MGH pioneers telemedicine, the practice of medicine over closed-circuit television.
1969	MGH cardiac surgeons collaborate in development of intra-aortic balloon catheter, the first commercially successful temporary aortic-assist device.
1970s	The MGH pioneers PET (positron emission tomography) scanning, which gives one of the first noninvasive looks at functional changes within the brain and other organs.
1974	MGH dermatologists introduce the field of photochemotherapy, which uses light and special medications to treat disorders such as psoriasis.
1979	MGH radiologists pioneer use of MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) to diagnose illness and injury.
1980s	MGH researchers make numerous key discoveries regarding AIDS and infection with HIV, including showing that the virus can infect the brain and nervous system and detection of HIV in female genital secretions.
1981	MGH, MIT and Shriners Burns Institute researchers create the first artificial skin made from living cells.
1981	Vincent Memorial researchers develop a technique for reversing the premature onset of puberty in girls.
1983	MGH researchers, using a pulsed dye laser, are the first to treat the congenital birthmarks called port wine stains without scarring.
1987	MGH researchers contribute to discovery of first gene associated with inherited, early-onset Alzheimer’s disease.
1988	MGH researchers develop laser treatment for removal of pigmented lesions and tattoos.
1991	Researchers at the MGH NMR (nuclear magnetic resonance) Center are the first to develop high-speed MRI scanning. A year later the technique is used for the first time to view brain metabolism without use of contrast agents or tracers.
1993	MGH researchers discover genes responsible for Huntington’s disease, ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease) and neurofibromastosis Type 2 (NF2).
1993	MGH surgeons are the first to use computerized brain images made by fusing information from both MRI and PET scans as a "road map" to guide an operation.
1993	MGH physicians develop new approaches to treat invasive bladder cancer that preserve bladder function.
1993	MGH surgeons perform the first heart-liver transplant in New England.
1994	MGH researchers show that daily injections of parathyroid hormone can prevent osteoporosis in women with medically-induced menopause.
1990s	Researchers at the MGH are among the first to investigate combination therapy treatment for AIDS, using "cocktails" of several anti-HIV drugs to suppress viral reproduction. The approach results in dramatic improvement in the health of people with AIDS.
1995	MGH researchers discover a gene associated with early-onset Alzheimer’s disease on Chromosome 1 and contribute to discovery of another early-onset gene on Chromosome 14.
1995	MGH researchers discover gene causing Batten disease, a fatal, inherited nervous system disease affecting children.
1995	MGH surgeons perform the first double-lobe, living-related lung transplant in New England.
1996	An MGH research team finds that low concentrations of the popular skin care ingredients alpha-hydroxy acids appear modestly effective in reducing symptoms of skin aging brought about by sun exposure and other environmental factors.
1996	Researchers in the MGH Department of Molecular Biology identify and clone one of the first genes known to control aging in an animal.
1996	MGH radiologists show that a new kind of CT scan is more effective at diagnosing appendicitis than traditional methods.
1997	MGH researchers publish two important studies of treatment with inhaled nitric oxide (NO) — a technique pioneered at the MGH. One shows NO treatment significantly improves the condition of infants with a life-threatening condition called persistent pulmonary hypertension. The other suggests that NO might treat or prevent painful sickle cell crises.
1997	An MGH-led research team identifies and clones the gene responsible for early-onset dystonia, a crippling, inherited neurological disorder that begins in childhood.
1997	Studies of genes used by tiny worm to regulate their metabolisms reveal striking similarities to genes used to regulate insulin metabolism in humans. The finding could lead to new understanding of and treatment for diabetes.
1997	Investigators from the MGH/Vincent Center for Reproductive Biology identify molecular pathways involved in the destruction of egg cells by a common chemotherapy drug. The discovery could lead to strategies for preserving fertility in girls and women treated with anti-cancer drugs.
1997	Using state-of-the-art imaging techniques, researchers at the MGH reveal how specific areas of the brain react to cocaine, distinguishing patterns of activation associated with feelings of euphoria and craving among addicts.
1997	MGH researchers identify the first activity of the human immune system that appears to suppress replication of HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. The discovery, which may explain why some HIV-infected individuals remain healthy for many years, becomes the basis for trials of several approaches to stimulating the immune system to control HIV.
1998	MGH researchers and collaborators from Canada are the first to apply molecular genetic analysis – classification of tumors by genetic information – to diagnosis of brain tumors, discovering genetic changes that indicate whether chemotherapy will be effective in treating a specific type of cancer.
1999	Investigators from the MGH Vincent Center for Reproductive Biology show that inactivation of a cell-death gene in female mice can sustain ovarian function into advanced age. The discovery may eventually lead to new techniques for reducing the health risks associated with menopause.
1999	A team from the MGH Bone Marrow Transplant Center and the Transplantation Biology Research Center develop a new, less toxic preparative regimen allowing use of bone marrow transplantation from mismatched donors to treat certain blood-cell cancers. The technique is subsequently used to help induce immune tolerance in an organ transplant recipient. Simultaneous kidney and bone marrow transplantation treated the patient’s multiple myeloma and allowed discontinuation of immunosuppressive drugs without rejection of the kidney.
1999	MGH researchers are the first to induced the growth of severed adult mammalian spinal cord fibers across the site of the injury without the use of implanted cells or tissues to bridge the severed fibers.
1999	Researchers from the MGH Cardiac Ultrasound Laboratory report that mitral valve prolapse, an abnormality of a heart valve, does not appear to be associated with an increased risk of stroke among young people. The discovery based on improved understanding of the valve’s shape and function that was developed at the MGH.
1999	Members of the MGH Pediatric Psychopharmachology Unit show that medical treatment for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (AHDH) – usually involving stimulant drugs like Ritalin – actually reduces the risk of substance abuse among teenage boys with ADHD.
1999	An MGH-based research team finds that elevated cholesterol appears to be a risk factor for preeclampsia, a condition of pregnancy that can have dangerous consequences for both mother and child. The discovery may lead to ways to reduce the risk of preeclampsia, something that is currently not possible.
1999	An MGH research study identifies a gene malfunction that appears to be central to the development of type 1 diabetes. The study in a classic animal model of type 1 diabetes found that a gene required to help teach the immune system to recognize so-called "self" proteins is somehow inactivated, even though its sequence is not mutated.
1999	An MGH-based research team shows for the first time that gene therapy may be able to reverse heart failure. The researchers showed that delivering additional copies of a gene called SERCA2a to muscle cells from failing human hearts restored the cells to normal functioning. A follow-up study early in 2000 shows that delivering the same gene to the hearts of rats that are aged but not in heart failure can improve their cardiac function.
2000	Surgeons from the MGH transplant team are the first to perform split-liver transplant procedures in the Northeastern U.S. The procedure, in which the liver from a single donor is divided between two recipients – usually and adult and a child – is another way to deal with the continuing shortage of donor organs.
2000	An MGH dermatologist develops new laser techniques that can safely remove unwanted hair from people with darker ethnic skin. Previously laser skin treatments had been ruled out for those with dark skin because of the risk of side effects.
2000	A study led by an MGH researcher finds that use of an experimental testosterone skin patch can relieve impaired sexual functioning in women who have had their ovaries removed before natural menopause.
2000	An MGH research team shows that most HIV-infected individuals who begin antiviral therapy during the earliest stages of infection can eventually keep the virus under control with their immune systems alone.
2001	MGH researchers identify a surprising new mechanism by which breast cancer cells metastasize to the lymph nodes and lungs, a pathway that may be a target for treatment strategies.
2001	MGH researchers discover stem cells within the pancreas that can generate insulin-secreting beta cells. Subsequent research may lead to ways to induce growth of a patient's own pancreatic islet cells for transplantation.
2001	For the first time, MGH researchers identify how common drugs called NSAIDS, which include aspirin and other anti-inflammatories, act on the central nervous system to reduce pain.
2001	MGH researchers devise a simple treatment that cures type 1 diabetes in mice. The approach essentially retrains the animal's immune system not to attack insulin-producing pancreatic beta cells.
2001	Mass General embarks on a 20-year master plan to update the hospital's campus – including the building of two new outpatient facilities.
2001	The first International Medical and Surgical Response Team (IMSuRT) of the National Medical Disaster System, based at MGH, sees its first action in response to the September 11 tragedy in New York City. The MGH IMSuRT and other Boston disaster teams treat more than 5,000 workers during the first 11 days after the disaster.
2001	The Northeast Proton Therapy Center (NPTC) at MGH, which delivers highly targeted, precise radiation therapy, begins treating patients. The second hospital-based proton therapy center in the world, the NPTC features the most advanced technology of its kind and a full range of patient and research support services.
2002	MGH researchers find a simple blood test during the first trimester of pregnancy may be able to identify women at risk for preeclampsia, a common and dangerous complication of late pregnancy.
2002	Using a telemedicine connection, MGH physicians advise doctors at the South Pole as they operate on a patient's fractured knee, the first time that such a technique was used at the Antarctic research station.
2002	Researchers from the MGH and the Whitehead Center for Genome Research find that most human genetic variation is organized into large, neat units called "haplotype" blocks. The scientists are participating in an international effort to construct a haplotype map that may make it faster and easier to identify gene changes associated with susceptibility to common diseases.
2003	An MGH research study shows that a controversial vaccine against HIV can stimulate a critical part of the HIV-specific immune response in chronically infected patients. The result is the first clear demonstration of the potential reconstitution of the immune response in chronic HIV infection.
2003	An MGH physician and a former colleague receive the Inventor of the Year Award for their invention of a system to safely deliver inhaled nitric oxide gas to treat a number of dangerous lung conditions.
2003	A study conducted at MGH and a Dutch hospital finds that a new MRI technique may be able precisely to identify the spread of prostate cancer to lymph nodes. The approach is being investigated for tracking the spread of breast, bladder and kidney cancer.
2003	MGH radiologists show that radiofrequency ablation should be the treatment of choice for the majority of patients suffering with a benign but painful bone tumor known as osteoid osteoma.
2003	Researchers from the MGH Reproductive Endocrine Unit and collaborators identify an apparent genetic trigger to the onset of puberty for both mice and humans.
2003	MGH reseachers find that cells from the spleen appear to develop into insulin-producing pancreatic islets in adult mammals.
2004	An underlying principle of mammalian reproductive biology is apparently overturned when MGH researchers find that female mice retain the ability to make new egg cells well into adulthood.
2004	Researchers from the MGH Cancer Center and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute separately discover a marker that identifies lung cancer patients whose tumors will respond to treatment with the drug Iressa.
2004	MGH researchers find that the expression levels of two genes in breast cancer tissue can identify whether tumors that are likely to be successfully treated with tamoxifen.
2004	The MGH welcomes the first patients to the Yawkey Center for Outpatient Care, the largest ambulatory facility in New England.