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.

Questões De Raça E Sangue: Proposta De Sequência Didática Para O Ensino De Fisiologia Humana

“…(THOMAS, 1985;YOUNT, 2012). Aos 19 anos, após concluir os estudos do colegial, com honraria, Vivien não interrompeu seus estudos, pois almejava uma carreira médica e estava empenhado, chegando até a inscrever-se no Tennessee State College (BROGAN; ALFIERIS, 2003;NG, 2014).…”

How Vivien Thomas changed medicine and became a symbol of fighting racism in science: His contribution to the treatment of Tetralogy of Fallot

“…The Great Depression (1929)(1930)(1931)(1932)(1933)(1934)(1935)(1936)(1937)(1938)(1939)(1940)(1941) had its impact. Due to the bank failures, Thomas lost all his savings and was forced to leave school and temporarily postpone his dream of becoming a doctor in search of work (1,(3)(4)(5). In 1930, through his friend Charles Manlove , who worked at Vanderbilt University, Thomas learned about a vacancy for a laboratory assistant for a 30-year-old surgeon and scientist named Alfred Blalock (1899-1964).…”

“…Heart, Vessels and Transplantation 2023; 7: doi: 10.24969/hvt.2022.386 How Vivien Thomas` invention to treat ToF helped to fight discrimination Tehlivets Blalock understood how important Thomas was to him. He once said that Thomas's hands were more important to him than his own (5). In 1941, Blalock was offered the position of chief surgeon at his alma mater, Johns Hopkins.…”

“…Thomas, dressed in a white lab coat, would make people stop in the hospital hallways (5,7,9). Vivien worked tirelessly in the laboratory to achieve the impossible.…”

“…Dr. Taussig noted that children with an open arterial duct tend to live longer and proposed a procedure to "reroute the plumbing" to increase blood flow to the lung (5,9,11,12). Upon hearing this, Thomas and Blalock looked at each other and realized that they knew what needed to be done.…”