Why We Celebrate National Doctors’ Day
Doctors are incredible. They hear us, help us and heal us. They usher us through each stage of life, guiding our well-being and healthcare decisions. That’s why, on March 30, we set aside time to thank them. And while you certainly don’t need a national holiday to do so, consider recognizing your physician today.
Maybe even share a little bit of fun history with them! For example, did you know National Doctors’ Day actually came to be because some friends decided to have a fun night out?
It’s true! In the early 1840s, a young Dr. Crawford Long and his chums regularly went on the town—and maybe even got into a bit of mischief. On one of their more wayward evenings, Dr. Long noticed that his companions recreationally using ether felt no pain when things got a little too raucous.
Connecting the dots, Dr. Long concluded that ether could reduce or completely remove physical pain. He later got a chance to test it by removing a tumor from a patient’s neck, pain-free, thus applying the first successful modern use of anesthesia. You can probably guess, but that surgery occurred on March 30.
Fast forward through 175 years, and you’ll find the first informal Doctors’ Day to celebrate Dr. Long’s achievement in 1933, the Resolution Commemorating Doctors’ Day by the House of Representatives in 1958, and finally George H.W. Bush designating it a National Holiday in 1990.
That’s a long road from a friends’ night out. But that evening sparked the transformation of healthcare. And while your doctor may not be inventing the next anesthesia, they are incrementally transforming your health with the same spirit and tireless care Dr. Long had.
For that, we say, “Thank you.”
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