A set of 6 stamps celebrating six of the most significant medical breakthroughs from the 20th century.
The United Kingdom has been at the forefront of medical research and technology since William Harvey first described the circulation of the blood in 1628. British physicians and scientists can justly take credit for the discovery and application of smallpox vaccination, anesthetics, anti-septic surgery and many public health measures, but perhaps some of the most important breakthroughs have taken place in the last 120 years. We understand that a retail booklet will be issued in January 2011 containing two of these 1st class stamps, with 4 gold Machin definitives.
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Set of 6 stamps: 1st - Heart-regulating beta-blockers (Inferior anterolateral view (left side) of the heart and its major blood vessels) 58p Antibiotic properties of penicillin (Petri dish culture penicillum notatum) 60p Total hip replacement (Coloured X-ray of the pelvis of a 74 year old woman) 67p Artificial lens implant surgery (Intraocular lens, an artificial implanted lens placed in the eye surgically) 88p Link between Malaria and mosquitoes (Coloured transmission electron micrograph of a section through a misshapen red blood cell infected with a malaria parasite (Plasmodium sp.)) 97p Computed tomography
scanner (CT scan of
an axial section through a patient’s abdomen showing a false
aneurysm (red) due to chronic pancreatitis) |
1st Class –
Heart-regulating beta-blockers synthesized by Sir James Black 1962
Beta blockers are used for various indications, but particularly for
the management of cardiac arrhythmias, cardioprotection after
myocardial infarction (heart attack), and hypertension. Propranolol was
the first clinically useful beta adrenergic receptor antagonist.
Invented by Sir James W. Black in the late 1950s, it revolutionized the
medical management of angina pectoris and is considered to be one of
the most important contributions to clinical medicine and pharmacology
of the 20th century.
58p – Antibiotic
properties of penicillin discovered by Sir Alexander Fleming 1928
The discovery of penicillin
is attributed to Scottish scientist and Nobel laureate Alexander
Fleming in 1928 He showed that, if penicillium notatum was grown in the
appropriate substrate, it would exude a substance with antibiotic
properties, which he dubbed penicillin. This serendipitous observation
began the modern era of antibiotic discovery
60p – Total hip
replacement operation pioneered by Sir John Charnley 1962
Sir John Charnley began his
research into hip replacement in 1949 when he moved his clinical
practice as an orthopedic surgeon to Wrightington Hospital near Wigan.
While suffering many setbacks during its development Charnley finally
performed the first successful hip replacement operation in 1962. This
subsequently became the gold standard treatment for this condition and
has remained the most successful surgical and radiological procedure up
to the present day.
Products
issued
Mint
set
Royal Mail FDCs
Presentation Pack
Set of 6 Stamp Cards
Special
Postmarks
Postmarks available for the day of issue will be shown here, others
will be
added later. These are
not to scale. These
postmarks cannot
be obtained after the date of issue.
Ref FD1031 Philatelic Bureau Official Postmark illustrated with life-saving equipment. |
Ref FD1032 Paddington official postmark |
Ref FD1032NP Paddington Official non-pictorial Postmark |
Ref L11866 Autumn Stampex, London N1 First Day of Issue |
Ref M11858 Fleming Road, Birmingham |
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Ref L11852 Tavistock Square, London WC1 |
Ref L11850 Joint Action - British Orthopaedic Association, London WC2 | Ref L11849 London SW7 |
Ref S11863 - Edinburgh | Ref L11869 - Oxford |
This page updated 7 September 2010
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