What is the history of FAA Medical certification?

[cowman]

So this is something I'm curious about and I can't seem to find the answer from simple google searches.

When did the FAA start requiring pilots to have medical certification? Was the class 1, 2, 3 stuff there from the beginning or did they ever do something else? Was there an incident that prompted these requirements or was it just deemed to be a good idea at the time?

 

[pdonahue]

It probably depends on your definition of "from the beginning" since I'm sure that Orville and Wilbur didn't have medicals. From the beginning of the FAA, the beginning of the CAA, the beginning of US signing onto the ICAO treaty? I'm also curious about the answer.

 

[TCABM]

The first AMEs were delegated their authority in 1927.

https://www.faa.gov/sites/faa.gov/files/about/history/people/medical_examiners.pdf

Here’s a chronology thru 1996.

https://www.faa.gov/sites/faa.gov/files/about/history/chronolog_history/b-chron.pdf

The FAA Third Class does not directly align with ICAO medical certificates.

 

[Jeff Oslick]

I don't recall the year, but the original standard was along the lines of "normal, natural health". The problem is, as we learn more about medical conditions, almost everyone becomes abnormal in some way.