Hilarious history of Doctors’ Day

National Doctors' Day Cards and Flowers

π“π¨ππšπ² 𝐒𝐬 𝐍𝐚𝐭𝐒𝐨𝐧𝐚π₯ πƒπ¨πœπ­π¨π«π¬β€™ πƒπšπ²β€”and I’ve been up since 5 am passing out these handmade cards & red carnations at emergency departments & veterinary hospitals. Want to celebrate with me?

On March 30, 1842 ➑️ Back when surgery meant agony, a young man braced for painβ€”only to feel nothing. Dr. Crawford Long performed the first painless surgery! His inspiration? Victorian ether frolicsβ€”laughing gas parties! Guests inhaled ether or nitrous oxide, fell, got bruised up, kept laughingβ€”yet felt no pain. Ever had a surgery? A dental procedure? Grateful to feel nothing?

𝐈𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐒𝐧𝐞 . . .
Mothers without Mother’s Day
Lovers without Valentine’s Day
Doctors without Doctors’ Day

Did you know ❀️ May 10, 1908, Anna Jarvis honored her mom by creating Mother’s Day ❀️ Feb. 14, 1847, Esther Howland, β€œMother of the Valentine Card” popularized Valentine’s Day ❀️ March 30, 1933, Eudora Almond honored her physician husband by creating Doctors’ Dayβ€”choosing March 30th to remember Dr. Long, the β€œFather of Modern Anesthesia.” Without Anna, Esther, and Eudora, we might not be celebrating mothers, lovers & doctors.

𝑨 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒇𝒆𝒍𝒕 π’•π’‰π’‚π’π’Œ π’šπ’π’– 𝒄𝒂𝒏 𝒔𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒂 π’π’Šπ’‡π’†.

In 1933, Eudora’s first Doctors’ Day party honored local docs with thank-you cards & red carnations. By 1991, it was a US holiday.

You might not know: 😒 Each year approx. 400 US doctors die by suicide 😒 Each doc cares for 2,000 – 7,000+ patients (varies by specialty) 😒 That means > 1 million Americans lose their doctors to suicideβ€”each year!

Thousands of hours helping physicians & med students on a free suicide helplineβ€”the #1 thing I know that’s proven to prevent suicide is a thank-you card.

What docs say:

β€œI keep every note from my patients. It has definitely prevented my suicide . . .There are days I want to give up . . . But I see the letters, thank-you cards . . . I am reminded that my life is about more than my pain.”

β€œI was always lifted up when patients thanked me. More satisfying than the money I earned..”

A surgeon’s suicide was prevented by this text: β€œHey I’m sorry about your patient. That sucks. I’m very thankful that we have you as an excellent otolaryngologist to learn from. You take care of so many sick patients and do a marvelous job educating us how to do it safely, skillfully, and compassionately well. Thank you for that.”

𝐊𝐒𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐬 𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭 𝐩𝐚𝐒𝐧.
Will you join me?
Write a thank-you card to a doc today.

More cards for inspiration:Β 

National Doctors' Day anesthesia

National Doctors' Day wives

Have fun! 🀣

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One comment on “Hilarious history of Doctors’ Day
  1. MK says:

    Thank YOU for your vital work.
    If 400 doctors treat approx a million patients, and you save the life of some of those 400 who might have committed suicide…well, you do the math.
    You probably know of some you have saved, but can’t know how far and wide those waves of compassion have spread to help others save more lives, and the impact of saving those healers lives, and their families and those who love them.
    It’s like magic, turning grief and despondency into hope.

    You are an awesome doctor and person.
    You are creating good healing karma in a sick, mentally ill world.
    Keep up the work…

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