Fun Daily Medical Trivia Questions and Answers

1. Question: At what age do babies start shedding tears? Answer: One month.
2. Question: How many breaths does a human take in a day? Answer: 20,000.
3. Question: How often does the average person dream? Answer: 5 times a night.
4. Question: What is sepsis an infection of? Answer: Blood.

Blow your mind with these random, strange, and totally cool fun facts.The world of medicine isn’t boring—it’s super awesome! Take a look at the fun facts and trivia questions below to learn something new:

• Question: How many times does the average human blink a day?
  • Answer: About 15,000 times.
• Question: How many times does the average person swallow in a day?
  • Answer: 600 times.
• Question: At what age do babies start shedding tears?
  • Answer: One month.
• Question: How many inches does hair grow a year?
  • Answer: About 6 inches.
• Question: What is the most common blood type?
  • Answer: O+.
• Question: What blood type is a universal plasma donor?
  • Answer: AB.
• Question: How many bacteria live on the surface of the human skin?
  • Answer: About 1,000.
• Question: How many times does the average person pass gas in a day?
  • Answer: 14 times.
• Question: How many breaths does the average human take in a day?
  • Answer: 20,000.
• Question: How much saliva does the human mouth produce in one day?^[1]
  • Answer: 1 li
  • ter.
• Question: Where does the word “muscle” come from?
  • Answer: The word “muscle” comes from the Latin phrase that means “little mouse.”
• Question: How many smells can the human nose register?
  • Answer: A trillion different scents.
• Question: On average, which nail on the human hand grows fastest?^[2]
  • Answer: The nail on the middle finger.
• Question: How fast is a human sneeze?
  • Answer: Over 100 MPH.
• Question: On average, how fast can information from the brain travel to other parts of the body?^[3]
  • Answer: Information can travel up to 350 MPH.
• Question: Humans share 60% of their DNA with which fruit?^[4]
  • Answer: Bananas.
• Question: How many watts of power does the human brain use?
  • Answer: Between 12 and 25 watts.
• Question: Like fingerprints, what other part of the human body has a unique print?
  • Answer: Tongue.
• Question: How often does the human stomach replace its lining?^[5]
  • Answer: Once every 3-4 days.
• Question: How long does it take for blood to circulate through the entire human body?
  • Answer: About 20 seconds.
• Question: How long is the average human small intestine?
  • Answer: 20 feet long.
• Question: True or false: Human teeth are just as strong as shark teeth.^[6]
  • Answer: True.
• Question: How many germs does the average human belly button have?
  • Answer: 2,400.
• Question: How many bones is the average human skull have?^[7]
  • Answer: 22 bones.
• Question: True or false: Ears continue to grow as a human ages.
  • Answer: True.
• Question: How many muscles does the average human body have?
  • Answer: Over 600.
• Question: How often do taste buds regenerate?
  • Answer: Every 1-2 weeks.
• Question: How many colors can the average human eye see?
  • Answer: 10 million.
• Question: How much of the population is left-handed?^[8]
  • Answer: 10-15%.
• Question: How many muscles make up the average human tongue?^[9]
  • Answer: 8.
• Question: How often does the average person dream?
  • Answer: 5 times a night.
• Question: How old was the oldest person to live?
  • Answer: 122 years old.

• Question: How many bones are in the average human body?^[10]
  • Answer: 206.
• Question: How many bones are in the average human foot?
  • Answer: 26.
• Question: What is the strongest bone in the human body?
  • Answer: The femur or thighbone.
• Question: At what age is the human brain fully developed?^[11]
  • Answer: 26.
• Question: How much does the average human brain weigh?
  • Answer: 3 pounds.
• Question: What is the medical term for high blood pressure?
  • Answer: Hypertension.
• Question: What is the main function of red blood cells?
  • Answer: To transport oxygen throughout the body.
• Question: What is the common name for the clavicle?
  • Answer: Collarbone.
• Question: What is the main symptom of jaundice?
  • Answer: Yellowing of the skin and eyes.
• Question: What is the medical term for inflammation of the joints?
  • Answer: Arthritis.
• Question: What is the term for surgically removing the appendix?
  • Answer: Appendectomy.
• Question: How many ribs does an average human have?
  • Answer: 12.
• Question: What is the name of the upper arm bone?
  • Answer: Humerus.
• Question: What virus causes AIDS?
  • Answer: HIV.
• Question: What disease causes progressive loss of memory and cognitive function?
  • Answer: Alzheimer’s disease.
• Question: What condition is characterized by an abnormal curve of the spine?
  • Answer: Scoliosis.
• Question: What does the circadian rhythm do?
  • Answer: Regulates the body’s sleep-wake cycles.
• Question: What is sepsis an infection of?
  • Answer: Blood.
• Question: Statins are given to patients with good or bad __.
  • Answer: Cholesterol.
• Question: What is glycogen also known as?
  • Answer: Sugar.
• Question: What is the active ingredient in Advil and Nuprin?
  • Answer: Ibuprofen.
• Question: What is the common name of the lymphatic tissues on either side of the back of the throat?
  • Answer: Tonsils.
• Question: Who was the ancient Greek god of medicine?
  • Answer: Asclepius.
• Question: Uveitis affects which part of the body?
  • Answer: The eye.
• Question: What is the main dietary restriction for those with celiac disease?
  • Answer: Gluten-free.
• Question: What type of medicine is used to reduce fever?
  • Answer: Antipyretic.
• Question: What does “SOB” stand for medically?
  • Answer: Shortness of breath.
• Question: What is the normal range for adult blood pressure?^[12]
  • Answer: 120/80 mmHg.
• Question: What does “CPR” stand for?^[13]
  • Answer: Cardiopulmonary resuscitation.
• Question: What is the most common place to take an adult’s pulse?
  • Answer: The radial artery (the lower part of the arm).^[14]
• Question: What does an EKG measure?
  • Answer: Electrical activity in the heart.
• Question: The cornea is the surface of which body part?
  • Answer: The eye.

• Question: At what age does the average human spinal cord stop growing?^[15]
  • Answer: Age 4.
• Question: What part of the human brain controls voluntary movements?
  • Answer: Cerebrum.
• Question: What disease is caused by a Vitamin C deficiency?
  • Answer: Scurvy.
• Question: What is the medical term for a heart attack?
  • Answer: Myocardial infarction.
• Question: What type of cells are white blood cells?
  • Answer: Leukocytes.
• Question: What is the primary function of the small intestine?
  • Answer: To absorb nutrients from food.
• Question: What muscle is responsible for breathing?
  • Answer: Diaphragm.
• Question: What is the main function of the spleen?
  • Answer: To filter blood and fight infections.
• Question: What is the medical term for the breastbone?
  • Answer: Sternum.
• Question: What type of cancer affects the blood and bone marrow?
  • Answer: Leukemia.
• Question: What is the medical term for an allergic reaction to pollen?
  • Answer: Hay fever.
• Question: What is the medical term for low blood sugar?
  • Answer: Hypoglycemia.
• Question: How many joints does the average human foot have?
  • Answer: 33.
• Question: How much blood does the average liver filter every minute?
  • Answer: 1.4 liters.
• Question: How many vertebrae does the human neck have?
  • Answer: 7.
• Question: What disorder is where someone has a strong urge to move their legs?
  • Answer: Restless leg syndrome.
• Question: A nephrologist is a doctor who specializes in the treatment of diseases affecting what organ?
  • Answer: Kidneys.
• Question: Hyperhidrosis is the medical term for what?
  • Answer: Excessive sweating.
• Question: What is removed during a cholecystectomy?
  • Answer: Gallbladder.
• Question: What medical term describes a general feeling of being unwell or vague discomfort associated with first getting sick?
  • Answer: Malaise.
• Question: What term is used to describe a disease that’s common or constantly present in a specific population?
  • Answer: Endemic.
• Question: What does HIPAA stand for?
  • Answer: Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act.
• Question: What is the name of the outer part of the eyeball?
  • Answer: Sclera.
• Question: What health-related word evolved from a Middle English term that described the venom of a snake?
  • Answer: Virus.
• Question: What is the primary purpose of the Glasgow Coma Scale?
  • Answer: To assess the consciousness level.
• Question: What does “NPO” stand for medically?
  • Answer: Nil per os (nothing by mouth).
• Question: Which medical tool was developed by Sanctorius in 1612?
  • Answer: The thermometer.
• Question: What’s the most frequently diagnosed cancer in men?^[16]
  • Answer: Prostate cancer.
• Question: What vein is commonly used for IVs in the arm?
  • Answer: Median cubital vein.
• Question: What do doctors look at through an ophthalmoscope?
  • Answer: The eye.
• Question: What is the medical term for a severe allergic reaction?
  • Answer: Anaphylaxis.

• Question: What is the name of the first cervical vertebra?
  • Answer: Atlas.
• Question: What is the common term for varicella?
  • Answer: Chickenpox.
• Question: What bacteria causes tuberculosis?
  • Answer: Mycobacterium tuberculosis.
• Question: What disease is caused by the Epstein-Barr virus?
  • Answer: Mononucleosis.
• Question: What is the medical term for kidney stones?
  • Answer: Nephrolithiasis.
• Question: What medical term comes from the Latin phrase for “loss of color” and refers to a patient’s pale complexion?
  • Answer: Pallor.
• Question: Which anti-malarial drug is extracted from the bark of a cinchona tree?
  • Answer: Quinine.
• Question: Which medical term refers to a dosage of fast-acting insulin that’s given through an attached pump device worn by diabetics?
  • Answer: Bolus.
• Question: Mycosis is a technical name for a disease caused by which organism?
  • Answer: Fungi.
• Question: What does PET in “PET scan” stand for?
  • Answer: Positron Emission Tomography.
• Question: Which medical term refers to small blood vessels branching from arteries to capillaries?
  • Answer: Arteriole.
• Question: Which medical term describes the physical wasting that occurs in diseases like tuberculosis and cancer?
  • Answer: Cachexia.
• Question: What mosquito-borne tropical disease is typically transmitted by the Aedes aegypti?
  • Answer: Dengue Fever.
• Question: Who was the only woman in history to win an unshared Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine?
  • Answer: Barbara McClintock.
• Question: What is the name of the space between the two ventricles of the heart?^[17]
  • Answer: Interventricular septum.
• Question: What type of cell produces red blood cells?
  • Answer: Hematopoietic stem cells.
• Question: What is the medical term for the condition where the heart muscle is enlarged and thickened?^[18]
  • Answer: Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.
• Question: What is the leading cause of liver cancer?^[19]
  • Answer: Chronic infection with hepatitis B or C.
• Question: What year did the first successful heart transplant take place?^[20]
  • Answer: 1976.
• Question: What is the medical term for a condition where the body doesn’t produce enough insulin?
  • Answer: Diabetes mellitus.
• Question: What is acrodynia associated with?
  • Answer: Mercury.
• Question: Which drug is given to prevent HIV transmission from a mother to a child?
  • Answer: Nevirapine.
• Question: Tube case is applied in the fracture of what?
  • Answer: Knee.
• Question: What is the most common congenital anomaly in a baby born to Insulin Dependant Diabetes Mellitus (IDDM) mother?
  • Answer: Cardiovascular anomaly.
• Question: Which part of the vertebral canal will show secondary curves with concavity backwards?
  • Answer: Cervical.
• Question: What is the ideal age for orchiopexy in cryptorchidism?
  • Answer: Less than 1 year old.
• Question: What do melanin and carotene determine?
  • Answer: Hair color.
• Question: “Dorsalgia” is the medical term for pain in what part of the body?
  • Answer: Back.
• Question: How many distinct layers of skin does the human body have?
  • Answer: 2.
• Question: Epistaxis is the medical term for what common occurrence?
  • Answer: Nose bleed.

• Question: How many square feet is the average adult human’s skin?
  • Answer: 19 square feet.
• Question: What is the largest artery in the body?
  • Answer: Aorta.
• Question: What system is the liver a part of?
  • Answer: The digestive system.
• Question: What does cartilage do?
  • Answer: It links joints and bones.
• Question: What internal organ stores bile?
  • Answer: Gallbladder.
• Question: Where on the body is the skin thinnest?
  • Answer: Eyelid.
• Question: What is the name of the pigment that gives the skin and hair color?
  • Answer: Melanin.
• Question: How many chambers does the human heart have?
  • Answer: 4.
• Question: What organ produces Insulin?
  • Answer: Pancreas.
• Question: What percentage of the body is made up of water?
  • Answer: Around 60%.
• Question: What is the strongest muscle in the human body?
  • Answer: The masseter or jaw muscle.
• Question: How many taste buds does the average human have?
  • Answer: About 10,000.
• Question: How many calories does the brain burn a day?
  • Answer: Around 300-400.
• Question: What is the smallest bone in the human body?
  • Answer: The stapes or stirrup bone (located in the ear).
• Question: How many miles of blood vessels are in the human body?
  • Answer: About 60,000.
• Question: What percentage of the human brain is made up of fat?
  • Answer: About 60%.
• Question: What is the largest internal organ in the human body?
  • Answer: Liver.
• Question: How many hair follicles does the average human have?
  • Answer: 5 million.
• Question: What is the most prominent protein in the human body?
  • Answer: Collagen.
• Question: How many nerves are in the human spinal cord?
  • Answer: 31.
• Question: How many bones are human babies born with?
  • Answer: 300.
• Question: How many gallons of blood does the heart pump in a day?
  • Answer: 2,000.
• Question: How many nerve cells does the human brain have?
  • Answer: Around 100 billion.
• Question: How many times does the average human’s heart beat per minute?
  • Answer: 60-100 times.
• Question: How many pounds of skin does an average human shed in a year?
  • Answer: 8 pounds.
• Question: How many times does the human heart beat in an average lifespan?^[21]
  • Answer: More than 3 billion times.
• Question: Which human lung is 10% smaller than the other lung?
  • Answer: The left lung.
• Question: How much of the human body is made up of blood?
  • Answer: About 8%.
• Question: What organ in the human body has its own independent nervous system?^[22]
  • Answer: The gut.
• Question: How many skin cells does an average human lose every hour?
  • Answer: 200 million.

• Question: How many square feet is the average adult human’s skin?
  • Answer: 19 square feet.
• Question: What is the largest artery in the body?
  • Answer: Aorta.
• Question: What system is the liver a part of?
  • Answer: The digestive system.
• Question: What does cartilage do?
  • Answer: It links joints and bones.
• Question: What internal organ stores bile?
  • Answer: Gallbladder.
• Question: Where on the body is the skin thinnest?
  • Answer: Eyelid.
• Question: What is the name of the pigment that gives the skin and hair color?
  • Answer: Melanin.
• Question: How many chambers does the human heart have?
  • Answer: 4.
• Question: What organ produces Insulin?
  • Answer: Pancreas.
• Question: What percentage of the body is made up of water?
  • Answer: Around 60%.
• Question: What is the strongest muscle in the human body?
  • Answer: The masseter or jaw muscle.
• Question: How many taste buds does the average human have?
  • Answer: About 10,000.
• Question: How many calories does the brain burn a day?
  • Answer: Around 300-400.
• Question: What is the smallest bone in the human body?
  • Answer: The stapes or stirrup bone (located in the ear).
• Question: How many miles of blood vessels are in the human body?
  • Answer: About 60,000.
• Question: What percentage of the human brain is made up of fat?
  • Answer: About 60%.
• Question: What is the largest internal organ in the human body?
  • Answer: Liver.
• Question: How many hair follicles does the average human have?
  • Answer: 5 million.
• Question: What is the most prominent protein in the human body?
  • Answer: Collagen.
• Question: How many nerves are in the human spinal cord?
  • Answer: 31.
• Question: How many bones are human babies born with?
  • Answer: 300.
• Question: How many gallons of blood does the heart pump in a day?
  • Answer: 2,000.
• Question: How many nerve cells does the human brain have?
  • Answer: Around 100 billion.
• Question: How many times does the average human’s heart beat per minute?
  • Answer: 60-100 times.
• Question: How many pounds of skin does an average human shed in a year?
  • Answer: 8 pounds.
• Question: How many times does the human heart beat in an average lifespan?^[21]
  • Answer: More than 3 billion times.
• Question: Which human lung is 10% smaller than the other lung?
  • Answer: The left lung.
• Question: How much of the human body is made up of blood?
  • Answer: About 8%.
• Question: What organ in the human body has its own independent nervous system?^[22]
  • Answer: The gut.
• Question: How many skin cells does an average human lose every hour?
  • Answer: 200 million.

• Question: What was physical therapy created in response to?^[23]
  • Answer: WWI.
  • Explanation: In the army, “reconstruction aides” or nurses were responsible for helping wounded soldiers using physical and occupational therapies.
• Question: What year does occupational therapy date back to?
  • Answer: 100 BC.
  • Explanation: Greek physician Asclepiades used occupational therapy techniques to help treat mental illness.
• Question: Who was the first president of the American Women’s Physical Therapeutic Association?
  • Answer: Mary McMillan.
  • Explanation: Physical therapy started as a female-only profession. The AWPTA was founded in 1921, becoming the first professional physical therapy association.
• Question: What over-the-counter acetaminophen was first introduced in 1955?
  • Answer: Tylenol.
  • Explanation: Acetaminophen was first used clinically in the US in 1950, but it became available for purchase among the public in 1955 under the brand name Tylenol.^[24]
• Question: What German psychologist was the first to refer to his profession as psychology?
  • Answer: William Wundt.
  • Explanation: Wundt was the first person to be referred to as a p
  • sychologist rather than a biologist. He used introspection to study the human mind.^[25]
• Question: What disease was eradicated in 1980 after a worldwide vaccination program?
  • Answer: Smallpox.
  • Explanation: The World Health Assembly declared smallpox to be the first disease to be globally eradicated in 1980.^[26]
• Question: What type of cancer is physician Thomas Hodgkin most commonly associated with?
  • Answer: Lymphoma.
  • Explanation: Thomas Hodgkin discovered Hodgkin’s Lymphoma in 1832 after diagnosing and treating patients with symptoms of cancer in the lymph nodes.^[27]
• Question: What year did the FDA approve the vaccine for chickenpox?
  • Answer: 1995.
  • Explanation: Varivax or the varicella vaccine was approved by the FDA in 1995 for treating those 1 year and older with chickenpox.^[28]
• Question: What year was Gray’s Anatomy published?
  • Answer: 1858.
  • Explanation: Written by Henry Gray, Gray’s Anatomy, a reference book of human anatomy, was first published in 1858.^[29]
• Question: What material were stethoscopes originally made of?
  • Answer: Wood.
  • Explanation: Some of the earliest stethoscopes looked like thin wooden funnels. They were originally created to prevent doctors from placing their ears on female patients’ chests.^[30]
• Question: Who is credited as the founder of genetics?
  • Answer: Gregor Mendel.
  • Explanation: Mendel was a botanist and teacher who was the first to connect a mathematical foundation to the science of genetics.^[31]
• Question: Who is considered the founder of modern nursing?
  • Answer: Florence Nightingale.
  • Explanation: Nightingale changed nursing to a respectful profession in 1860, founding a nursing school and publishing the first book on nursing education.^[32]
• Question: What body part was the first X-ray of?
  • Answer: Hand.
  • Explanation: Wilhelm Conrad Roentgen was the first to discover and cultivate the practice of X-rays. One of his earliest experiments was an X-ray of his wife’s hand in 1895.^[33]
• Question: Who discovered the world’s first antibiotic?
  • Answer: Alexander Fleming.
  • Explanation: Penicillin, the world’s first antibiotic, was found by Dr. Alexander Fleming, a bacteriologist.^[34]
• Question: In what country did the first heart transplant take place?
  • Answer: South Africa.
  • Explanation: Performed by Christiaan (Chris) Barnard, the first successful heart transplant took place in Groote Schuur Hospital at the University of Cape Town in 1967.^[35]

• Question: What is the longest bone in the human body?
  • Answer: The femur (thigh bone). [1, 2, 3]
• Question: What is the largest internal organ in the human body?
  • Answer: The liver. [1, 2, 3]
• Question: What blood type is known as the universal plasma donor?
  • Answer: Type AB. [1, 2]
• Question: How many bones are in the human neck?
  • Answer: Seven (cervical vertebrae). [1]

Medical Terms and Conditions

• Question: What is the medical term for high blood pressure?
  • Answer: Hypertension. [1, 2]
• Question: What does CPR stand for?
  • Answer: Cardiopulmonary resuscitation. [1, 2]
• Question: What condition is caused by a lack of Vitamin C?
  • Answer: Scurvy. [1, 2, 3]
• Question: What organ does hepatitis A affect?
  • Answer: The liver. [1]

Medical History and Science

• Question: Who discovered penicillin?
  • Answer: Alexander Fleming. [1]
• Question: Who developed the very first smallpox vaccine?
  • Answer: Edward Jenner.