Housecalls Trivia Quiz

Answer: Dr. Benjamin Spock

Dr. Benjamin Spock (1903-1998) is NOT to be confused with Mr. Spock! Dr. Spock is from Earth - specifically born in New Haven, Connecticut. He was an American pediatrician, whose ground-breaking book "Baby and Child Care" was published in 1946. It was one of the best-sellers of all time, and changed the old-fashioned ideas about child rearing.

The major message Dr. Spock espoused was for parents (mainly mothers at that time) to trust their instincts; he said "you know more than you think you do".

Answer: Dr. Virginia Apgar

Dr. Virginia Apgar (1909-1974) was an obstetrical anesthesiologist. She was the first woman to be named a full professor at the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. In the field of neonatology, she devised the "Apgar Score" i.e., "the first standardized method for evaluating the newborn's transition to life outside the womb".

The Apgar Score was first published in 1953, and measures five points of the newborn - heart rate, respiration, color, muscle tone and reflex response.

Answer: Dr. Joseph Lister

British surgeon Joseph Lister (1827-1912) employed Pasteur's theories in microbiology to bring sterile conditions into the operating room. He pioneered techniques to sterilize surgical instruments and to cleanse wounds. His work helped reduce post-operative infections and make operations safer. Lister became known as the "father of modern surgery". Aside from these ground-breaking techniques, he also developed a way to repair kneecaps with metal wire, and improved the way mastectomies were performed.

Answer: Dr. Alfred Kinsey

The Kinsey Reports were actually two books about human sexual behavior; they were co-authored by Alfred Kinsey (1894-1956), and published in 1948. The full titles were "Sexual Behavior in the Human Male" and "Sexual Behavior in the Human Female". Considering the times in which these books were printed, i.e., when repression was the norm and 's-e-x' was not discussed, the whole concept was shocking! He founded the Kinsey Institute for Sex, Gender and Reproduction; his findings were based on personal interviews with thousands of subjects, across different ages, religions and socioeconomic groups.

He helped remove some of the cultural taboos that existed.

Answer: Dr. Edward Jenner

English physician and scientist Dr. Edward Jenner (1749-1823) was responsible for creating the world's first vaccine. The vaccine was for the disease smallpox, a disease which had taken the lives of millions of people over the centuries. In later years, scientists followed his example which led to life-saving vaccines for other deadly diseases like polio, tetanus, typhus and many more. By 1970, the World Health Organization announced that smallpox had been eradicated!

Answer: Dr. David Livingstone

"Dr. Livingstone, I presume?" That was Henry Morton Stanley's greeting upon meeting Dr. David Livingstone (1813-1873) in Africa on November 10, 1871. Livingstone was a scientific investigator and explorer who was preoccupied with finding the source of the Nile River.

He reasoned that a discovery of such importance would lead to fame and power; however, he did not want the power for self-importance but, rather, as a means to "remedy an immense evil", i.e., the African slave trade. For his works he was posthumously named as a national hero in 1874.

Answer: Dr. Joyce Brothers

Dr. Joyce Brothers (1927-2013) was a psychologist (long before Dr. Phil), a columnist, a TV personality and a game show winner. She has been called "the mother of media psychology". In the 1950s she had an advice show where she would counsel people with problems, before Frasier Crane started "listening". Aside from her TV appearances, Dr. Brothers also wrote a daily newspaper advice column from 1960 to 2013.

She was the predecessor of Dr. Ruth, Dr. Laura, Dear Abby and so many others. In addition, in 1955, she was the first woman to win it all on "The $64,000 Question"; her category - boxing!

Answer: Dr. Elizabeth Blackwell

British born Elizabeth Blackwell was the first woman to graduate from medical school in the United States. In 1832, she and her family moved to the US. Ms. Blackwell had a friend suffering from a terminal disease, but she was embarrassed to go to a male doctor ("Hobson's choice").

This inspired Blackwell to study medicine; after independent study with doctors, she was accepted to Geneva Medical College in upstate New York, in 1847. The other students thought her admission was a practical joke, but Blackwell went on to graduate in 1849, ranked first in her class. Congratulations, Dr. Blackwell!

Answer: Dr. Samuel Mudd

Have you ever heard the expression "his name is mud", meaning one who is in disgrace? The origin of the expression dates back to the 1700s when mud was slang for a fool. It resurfaced after Dr. Mudd helped John Wilkes Booth. After John Wilkes Booth shot President Lincoln, Booth fractured his leg while escaping.

In the early hours of April 15, 1865, Booth arrived at the home of Dr. Mudd, a known advocate of slavery. Mudd performed surgery on Booth's leg and, within a day, Mudd was arrested. He was subsequently imprisoned for life for conspiring with John Wilkes Booth in the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln.

He was pardoned four years later by President Andrew Jackson and released from prison four years later.

Answer: Dr. Jonas Salk

Jonas Edward Salk (1914-1995) was an American physician, medical researcher and virologist. After Dr. Salk received his MD from New York University, he interned at Mount Sinai Hospital and went to the University of Michigan on a fellowship. In 1947, at the University of Pittsburgh, he began doing research on polio, also known as infantile paralysis.

In 1953 he had developed an experimental polio vaccine which he tested on himself and his family. By 1955 the vaccine was approved for general use, potentially saving millions of lives, and Jonas Salk became a national hero.