Vivien Thomas (1910–1985): The Backstage Pioneer and Educator

ABSTRACT

Vivien Thomas (1910–1985) was an African-American scientist, pioneer, and renowned educator. Thomas's contributions to cardiovascular surgery were unequivocal, and yet it was only after his death that he gained more widespread recognition. Thomas's more notable work involves aiding in the discovery of the cause of traumatic shock, designing and guiding the first operation to treat Tetralogy of Fallot, carrying out the first atrial septectomy, and helping develop the electrical defibrillator.

Thomas struggled amidst the adversities of racism and the Great Depression (1929–1941), armed merely with a high school degree. Nevertheless, his genius and determination eventually led him to receive an honorary doctorate from John Hopkins University. His story inspired the creation of the award winning PBS documentary in 2003 Partners of the Heart and also the 2004 Emmy Award-winning HBO film Something the Lord Made. This article will aim to provide an overview to the more notable events in Thomas's amazing tale, with a particular focus on his work on the Tetralogy of Fallot.

Keywords: :

• African American
• Alfred Blalock
• educator
• John Hopkins
• medical history
• pioneer
• shock
• tetralogy of fallot
• Vivien Thomas

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I am very grateful to Dr Neil H. Metcalfe (SSC lead in the History of Modern Medicine, Hull York Medical School, UK) for all his guidance on the writing of this article. This could not have been accomplished without him.

I would also like to thank The Duke University Medical Center Archives, Durham, North Carolina, USA for their permission to use Figure 1; Alan Mason Chesney Medical Archives, John Hopkins Medical Institution, Baltimore, USA for Figures 2 and 3; Partners of the Heart © 1998 First paperback printing. University of Pennsylvania Press, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA for Figures 4 and 5. They have been most kind.

Last but not least I would like to thank Dr Luis H. Toledo-Pereyra (Western Michigan University) for generously granting me access to his 2005 article on Alfred Blalock.

Declaration of interest: The author reports no conflict of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the article.

NOTICE OF CORRECTION:

A version of this manuscript was previously posted online, with a slightly differently worded abstract.