May 19 is Family Medicine Day in Ukraine and World Family Doctor Day, as well as International Hepatitis Day and the Birthday of the Rubik’s Cube. On this day, at different times in history, events related to royal dynasties, political coups, education, culture, technology and Ukraine’s European choice took place.
Family Medicine Day in Ukraine and World Family Doctor Day
Family Medicine Day in Ukraine is combined with World Family Doctor Day, which falls on May 19 every year. It was initiated by the World Organization of Family Doctors WONCA in 2010 to draw attention to the role of the primary care physician in everyday medical care.
In Ukraine, the family doctor has become a key figure after the development of primary care and medical reform. It is he who is most often the patient turns to first: for prevention, vaccination, chronic diseases, prescriptions, referrals and basic diagnostics.
Interesting facts
The first prototypes of family doctors existed in antiquity: a doctor often served not an individual patient, but an entire family, knowing their lifestyle, diet, hereditary diseases and living conditions.
In medieval Europe, wealthy families had “house doctors” who observed several generations of one family, gave birth, treated children, adults and the elderly without dividing them into narrow specialties.
In the 19th century, zemstvo doctors in Ukrainian lands actually played the role of family doctors: they treated everything from childhood infections and injuries to childbirth, fever, toothache and epidemics in villages.
One zemstvo doctor could be responsible for an area with dozens of settlements, so he knew not only people’s diseases, but also their living conditions: water, food, work, housing, sanitation and community habits.
Family medicine as a separate specialty took shape in the world relatively late – in the second half of the 20th century, when it became clear that the excessive division of medicine into narrow specialties leaves the patient without a doctor who sees the big picture.
In many countries, a family doctor does not just treat colds or write referrals, but also manages pregnancies in the early stages, observes children, controls chronic diseases, conducts preventive examinations and helps avoid unnecessary hospitalizations.
A family doctor is often the first to notice hereditary patterns: for example, the recurrence of hypertension, diabetes, cancer or heart problems in several generations of the same family.
A family doctor can observe one family for years and see what is not always visible during a single appointment: changes in weight, mood, behavior, blood pressure, tests and response to treatment.
In the work of a family doctor, not only the diagnosis is of great importance, but also trust: patients are more likely to tell “their” doctor about symptoms that they are embarrassed to discuss with an unfamiliar specialist.
In Ukraine, the modern model of family medicine has gradually replaced the Soviet system of district therapists and pediatricians, where adults and children were usually divided between different doctors.
WONCA unites family doctor organizations from over 100 countries, which is why World Family Doctor Day has an international scope.
World Hepatitis Day
This day is dedicated to spreading information about viral hepatitis, ways of infection, prevention and the importance of early detection of the disease. It was launched by the International Hepatitis Alliance in 2008 to draw attention to a problem that has long remained insufficiently visible in the world.
Hepatitis is an inflammation of the liver that can be caused by viruses, toxins, alcohol or autoimmune processes. The most well-known are hepatitis A, B, C, D and E, with some forms being able to develop without symptoms for years. Timely diagnosis allows you to avoid cirrhosis, liver cancer and serious complications.
Interesting facts
The word “hepatitis” comes from the Greek word “hepar”, which means “liver”.
The hepatitis B virus is 50–100 times more contagious than HIV when exposed to infected blood.
Hepatitis C is often called the “silent killer”, because a person may not know about the disease for decades due to the lack of noticeable symptoms.
In past centuries, the hepatitis A virus often caused mass outbreaks among military armies due to dirty water and poor sanitation.
The first vaccine against hepatitis B was created in 1981, and it was one of the first vaccines capable of preventing the development of some types of cancer, in particular liver cancer.
The 2020 Nobel Prize in Medicine was awarded to scientists Harvey Alter, Michael Houghton, and Charles Rice for their discovery of the hepatitis C virus.
In the 20th century, many people contracted hepatitis through blood transfusions until donor blood began to be widely tested for viruses.
The liver is able to partially recover even after serious damage, which is why this organ is considered one of the most “enduring” in the human body.
Some forms of hepatitis can pass without a trace, while some become chronic and slowly destroy the liver over many years.
In Ukraine, vaccination against hepatitis B is included in the mandatory vaccination calendar for children, and the first dose of the vaccine is administered to newborns in the first hours after birth.
Birthday of the “Rubik’s Cube”
In 1974, Hungarian sculptor and architecture teacher Erné Rubik created the famous mechanical puzzle — “Rubik’s Cube.” Initially, the invention had an educational purpose: Rubik wanted to show students the principles of spatial thinking and the movement of three-dimensional structures.
After its appearance, the puzzle quickly became a global phenomenon. The Rubik’s Cube sold millions of copies, became a symbol of the 1980s and became one of the most famous toys in history. It is used not only for entertainment, but also for the development of memory, logic, concentration and speed of thinking.
Interesting facts
The first version of the puzzle was called not by Erně Rubik the “Rubik’s Cube”, but by Erně Rubik the “Magic Cube”.
The inventor himself spent almost a month to independently assemble his own cube for the first time after mixing it.
The classic 3×3×3 Rubik’s Cube has over 43 quintillion possible combinations – this is a number of 19 digits.
In 2010, mathematicians proved that any correctly assembled cube can be solved in a maximum of 20 moves. This number was called “God’s number.”
Erné Rubik became one of the few toy inventors who became world celebrities during his lifetime.
In the first years of sales, many people bought the cube, but could not assemble it and removed the colored stickers to “beat” the puzzle.
In the 1980s, the Rubik’s Cube became so popular that some schools temporarily banned it from classes because students constantly twisted the puzzle under their desks.
There are cubes ranging in size from 1×1×1 to giant 21×21×21 models that can weigh several kilograms.
World records for assembling the cube have long gone beyond the usual method: it is assembled with one hand, with feet, blindfolded, and even underwater.
The Rubik’s Cube became one of the best-selling toys in human history, with hundreds of millions of copies sold worldwide.
Historical events on this day
1051 – Anne of Reims, daughter of Prince Yaroslav the Wise of Kiev, was crowned in the French city of Reims. She became Queen of France after marrying King Henry I and later left a noticeable mark on French history as an educated ruler of Russian origin.
1536 – Anne Boleyn, the second wife of King Henry VIII of England, was executed in London. She was accused of treason, although many historians believe the case was politically motivated, as the king sought a new marriage and a male heir.
1568 – Queen Elizabeth I of England ordered the imprisonment of Mary Stuart, the former Queen of Scotland. Mary had dynastic claims to the English throne, so her presence in England was perceived as a dangerous political challenge.
1649 – England was proclaimed a republic after the execution of King Charles I. The country temporarily abandoned the monarchy, and power passed to parliament and supporters of the new state system.
1861 – the first Sunday school in Ukraine was opened in Sumy. Such schools provided an opportunity for people who worked during the week to study, and became an important phenomenon for the spread of education among the wider population.
1997 – Hewlett-Packard released its first portable computer running the Windows CE operating system. The device belonged to the early wave of compact mobile computers that preceded modern tablets and smartphones.
1998 – Two paintings by Vincent van Gogh and one by Paul Cezanne were stolen from the National Gallery of Modern Art in Rome. The theft attracted a lot of attention, as the works were works by artists of world importance.
2005 – At a meeting of the ministers of education of European countries in Bergen, a decision was made to join Ukraine in the Bologna Process. This meant a gradual approximation of Ukrainian higher education to European standards, in particular through a system of degrees, credits and mutual recognition of diplomas.
