On this date in 1923, Paul Drucker, a Danish pediatrician, invented the heel stick, one of the most common ways to withdraw blood from an infant. In this procedure, a newborn’s heel is pricked and then a small amount of the blood is collected on special blotting paper. The blood is then tested for phenylketonuria and type. Some hospitals test for such conditions as hypothyroidism and sickle cell disease.

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