Rudolf Virchow: the father of today's pathology.

This year marks the 200th anniversary of the birth of Rudolf Ludwig Virchow, a pathologist and polymath who, among other things, coined the terms leukaemia, embolism and thrombosis.

Sir Felix Semon (1849-1921): distinguished laryngologist.

This year marks the 100th anniversary of the death of Sir Felix Semon, one of the fathers of modern laryngology.

Sir Grafton Elliot Smith: distinguished Australian anatomist and Egyptologist.

This year marks the 150th anniversary of the birth of Grafton Elliot Smith, the distinguished Australian-born anatomist and an early expert on the excavations of ancient Egypt.

Advances in general surgery 50 years ago.

In 1971, some of the new advances that were set to change the field of general surgery included theories about the development of peptic ulcers, new treatments for varicose veins and pioneering work in the introduction of day case surgery.

Thomas Willis: physician who described the circle of Willis, the arterial anastomosis at the base of the brain.

Thomas Willis is known for the discovery and description of the circle of Willis, but his contributions to the development of medicine were much broader, including the first use of the term 'neurology'.