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In the United States, an estimated 50 million unnecessary antibiotics are prescribed for viral respiratory infections.
When Gabriel Fahrenheit invented the first mercury thermometer, he called "zero degrees" the lowest temperature he was able to attain with a mixture of ice and salt. For the upper point of his scale, he used 96°, which he measured as normal human body temperature (we know it to be 98.6° today because of more accurate thermometers).
In 1864, the first barbiturate (barbituric acid) was synthesized.
About 100 new prescription or over-the-counter drugs come into the U.S. market every year.
HIV testing reach is still limited. An estimated 40% of people with HIV (more than 14 million) remain undiagnosed and do not know their infection status.