62 Erie County Medical CenterTimeline 1918 – Opening of Buffalo City Hospital, forerunner of ECMC. World: Influenza pandemic infects 500 million people around the world. World: Russian revolution overthrows czar and empowers Bolsheviks. 1919 – The hospital’s school of nursing is founded. World: The 18th Amendment (Prohibition) is adopted. 1921 – Discovery of vitamin D and discovery of insulin, important in treatment of diabetes. 1923 – First vaccine for diphtheria. 1924 – Opening of Crippled Children’s School at City Hospital. World: 1927 – First vaccine for tuberculosis. 1928 – Alexander Fleming discovers penicillin. 1930 – Beginning of the hospital’s three-year residency program in medicine. 1931 – City Hospital creates a 70-acre arboretum with a water garden. World: 1932 – Gerhard Domagk develops a chemotherapeutic cure for streptococcus. 1935 – First vaccine for yellow fever. 1936 – City Hospital is approved by the AMA for a student doctors teaching program. World: Spanish Civil War begins and hundreds of Americans join the “Lincoln Brigades.” King George V dies, succeeded by his son Edward VIII, who abdicates. FDR re-elected in a landslide. 1937 – Successful treatment of schizophrenia at City Hospital. World: The dirigible “Hindenburg” explodes over Lakehurst, N.J. Amelia Earhart and co-pilot Fred Noon vanish over the Pacific. 1938 – City Hospital opens the first blood bank in Buffalo. World: Discovery of electroconvulsive therapy. 1939 – The institution is re-named the Edward J. Meyer Memorial Hospital. Dr. David K. Miller appointed physician-in-chief. World: Beginning of World War II. 1940 – Hospital gives 287,861 free tests a year, many for syphilis. Meyer Memorial treats half of the city’s polio cases. Outpatient fracture clinic opens, the first in the city. World: Winston Churchill becomes Britain’s prime minister. Lascaux caves with Cro-Magnon art discovered by French schoolboy. First Social Security benefit checks are paid out. Pennsylvania Turnpike opens, the first U.S. superhighway. First McDonald’s opens in Pasadena, CA. 1941 – Death of Dr. Walter S. Goodale, the hospital’s first superintendent. Dr. William Clarke appointed to succeed Dr. Goodale. Dr. John D. Stewart appointed surgeon-in-chief. World: Surprise attack on U.S. fleet at Pearl Harbor. Orson Welles re-defines cinema with Citizen Kane. 1943 – Willem J. Kolff builds the first dialysis machine. 1946 – Meyer Memorial Hospital transfers from city to county management. New Alcoholism Clinic opened and led by Dr. David K. Miller. Dr. Donald C. O’Connor is appointed the new superintendent of Meyer Memorial Hospital. World: Chemotherapy developed as cancer treatment. First meeting of United Nations General Assembly opens in London. 1947 – Meyer Memorial Hospital School of Nursing is the first in the area to admit men. World: First use of a defibrillator on a human patient. The Dead Sea Scrolls are discovered at Qumran, Israel. Jackie Robinson joins the Brooklyn Dodgers. 1951 – New Psychiatric Center is completed with twice the former capacity. 1952 – New outpatient clinic for children with polio. World: Jonas Salk develops the first polio vaccine. 1954 – Dr. Joseph Murray performs the first human kidney transplant. 1956 – The AMA classifies alcoholism as a disease. 1958 – Production of the first wearable external pacemaker. 1960 – Development of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) at Johns Hopkins University. First combined oral contraceptive pill approved for use by the FDA. 1961 – The Sabin oral polio vaccine comes into commercial use. 1962 – Modern hip replacement joint perfected by Prof. Sir John Charnley. 1963 – Primary Medical Rehabilitation Center opens at Meyer Memorial. Called “the keystone in the arch of rehabilitation services in upstate New York.” World: First licensed measles vaccine becomes commercially available. 1965 – Intensive Care Unit opens to provide highly concentrated medical and nursing care. World: 1967 - Mumps vaccine introduced into the U.S. Dr. Christiaan Barnard performs the first human heart transplant. 1967 – Anita Dorr, RN, develops and builds the first crash cart. 1968 – Dr. Border and others establish the American Trauma Society (ATS). 1969 – Meyer adds nurses to ambulances when time may be a factor in saving a life. Meyer Memorial meets and surpasses the standards set by the Joint Commission on the Accreditation of Hospitals. Construction begins on a new School 84. 1971– Groundbreaking for the new Erie County Medical Center, the largest construction project ever undertaken by Erie County.