Monday marks National Doctor's Day in the U.S. Here are four things to know about the national holiday honoring our healthcare providers.
1. The first National Doctor's Day was celebrated March 30, 1991 after Congress approved legislation to establish the day and President George H.W. Bush signed it into public law on Oct. 30, 1990.
2. Before it was a national holiday, the first observed Doctor's Day occurred in March 30, 1933 in Winder, Ga., when Eudora Brown Almond, the wife of Dr. Charles Almond, hosted a lunch for her husband and his colleagues to recognize their service. It was the anniversary of the day Dr. Crawford Long performed the first surgery with general anesthetic in 1842 in Jefferson, Ga. The idea was picked up and celebrated by the Barrow County (Ga.) Medical Society Auxiliary and in 1958 the U.S. House of Representatives adopted a resolution to commemorate the holiday, according to Hallmark.
3. Originally, Doctor's Day was celebrated by sending cards to physicians and placing red carnations on their graves, including the grave of Dr. Long. Today, the holiday is still commemorated with red carnations and other tokens of gratitude. The first National Doctor's Day cards made by Hallmark were created in 2003.
4. Doctor's Day is also celebrated around the world, but on different days of the year and on different days of significance. In Cuba, Argentina and Spain, Doctor's Day is celebrated on December 2, which is the birth date of Dr. Carlos Juan Finlay, who is known for his yellow fever research. In Canada, May 1 is Doctor's Day to recognize the birth date of Dr. Emily Stowe, the first Canadian female physician. In India it is celebrated on July 1, the birth date of Dr. B.C. Roy, who was a well-known Indian physician and activist. Iranians mark the holiday on August 23, the birth date of Persian polymath Avicenna, who wrote more than 40 books on medicine, two of which were considered standard medical texts in medieval universities, according to the Southern Medical Association.
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