March 30th marks the annual observation of National Doctors Day. This day was established to recognize physicians, their work and their contributions to society and the community. On National Doctors Day, we say “thank you” to our physicians for all that they do for us and our loved ones.
The first ether anesthetic for surgery was administered by Crawford W. Long, M.D. on March 30, 1842, marking the date for Doctors Day. On that day, before Dr. Long operated to remove a tumor from a man’s neck, he administered ether anesthesia. Following surgery, the man would swear that he felt nothing during the surgery and was not aware of anything until he awoke.
March 30, 1933, was the first observance of Doctors Day in Winder, Georgia. Dr. Charles B. Almond’s wife, Eudora Brown Almond, wanted to have a day to honor physicians. On this first day in 1933, greeting cards were mailed and flowers placed on the graves of deceased doctors. The red carnation is commonly used as the symbolic flower for National Doctors Day.
In 1991, National Doctors Day was proclaimed by President George Bush. Here you can read the complete proclamation.
- According to the US Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics, there are nearly 700,000 physicians and surgeons in the United States alone.
- Around half of all of those doctors (51-percent) are in primary care.
- The first hospitals date back to ancient Greece, about 4,000 BCE. They were most likely temples to the gods of healing.
- There are Hallmark cards for this. No holiday is complete without Hallmark cards! Hallmark began supplying National Doctor’s Day cards in 2003.
- Over 83-percent of all Americans had contact with a doctor within the last 12 months.
- Over 92-percent of all children in the United States saw a doctor in the last year.
- Most people go to the doctor for a cough.
- Nearly half of all medical school graduates are women. This is up 30% from over thirty years ago.
- The majority of physicians consistently report working overtime — up to 60 hours a week!
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