8 November — On this day in medicine

On 8 November 1895 in Würzburg, Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen observed an unknown form of radiation, opening the way to medical imaging. The famous radiograph of his wife’s hand was taken later, on 22 December.

Born in South Africa on 8 November 1922, Christiaan Barnard later led the team that performed the first human-to-human heart transplant in Cape Town on 3 December 1967.

Born in Zurich on 8 November 1884, psychiatrist Hermann Rorschach developed an inkblot interpretation test. His book Psychodiagnostik appeared in 1921, becoming a milestone in the history of psychological assessment.