National Without A Scalpel Day is a holiday observed annually on January 16th. The purpose of this holiday is to recognize that many diseases can be treated without a scalpel. It commemorates the date in 1964 when Charles Dotter performed the first-ever angioplasty.

The angioplasty allowed him to save a patient’s leg by inserting a minimally invasive device through a tiny pinhole to open up the blocked artery. Advances like this allow doctors to find and treat disease in a person’s body without having to make large incisions. This makes recovery times quicker and allows the patient to experience less pain while recovering.

The History Of National Without A Scalpel Day

This holiday was created in 2015 by the Interventional Initiative—an organization that helps educate the public with credible information on Minimally Invasive Image-Guided Procedures (MIIPs) to treat conditions in various parts of the body.

The History Of The Scalpel

A scalpel is a surgical tool that has been used by humans for over 10,000 years, although it must be said that the crude obsidian and flint knives of the Stone Age bear little resemblance to modern scalpels.

The Romans named their version of this surgical instrument “scallpellus”—a name that would evolve over the years into the word “scalpel.” This tool would evolve over the years until it became the modern surgical tool that we know today.

Observing National Without A Scalpel Day

This holiday can be observed by learning more about MIIPs and by sharing this information with friends and family members. This information can also be shared via social media using the hashtag #NationalWithoutAScalpelDay to educate other people about these procedures.