Partners of the Heart: Vivien Thomas and His Work with Alfred Blalock: An Autobiography

Partners of the Heart: Vivien Thomas and His Work with Alfred Blalock: An Autobiography
by Vivien T. Thomas

Partners of the Heart: Vivien Thomas and His Work with Alfred Blalock: An Autobiography
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Book Summary Information

Author: Vivien T. Thomas
Edition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 1998-01-01
ISBN: 0812216342
Number of pages: 264
Publisher: University of Pennsylvania Press

Book Reviews of Partners of the Heart: Vivien Thomas and His Work with Alfred Blalock: An Autobiography

Book Review: If you've seen the movie, now read the book
Summary: 5 Stars

In this book you will hear from Vivien Thomas himself. As wonderful as the movie was, it did take some dramatic license here and there. Vivien tells the story of the first "blue baby" operation very matter of factly. As you read the book you will discover that he played things pretty close to the vest. He was not one for dramatic outbursts or fits of temper. Thomas is a dignified quite man and his relation with Dr. Blalock was not all sweetness and light but they worked well togehter and became very close.

There is a lot of medical talk in the book. The squeemish may have trouble getting through the accounts of the experiments that were performed on the dogs. Don't let that stop you from reading this book. It gives you a wonderful insight into this modest, unassuming but brilliant doctor. He never went to medical school but taught some of the finset surgeons in the world how to operate. Happily, Thomas was finally given an honorary doctorate by Johns Hopkins.

If you have seen the movie, don't expect this book to play out the same way. This is real life.

Enjoy!

Summary of Partners of the Heart: Vivien Thomas and His Work with Alfred Blalock: An Autobiography

Visitors to the Blalock Building at the Johns Hopkins University Medical Center are greeted by portraits of two great men. One, of renowned heart surgeon Alfred Blalock, speaks for itself. The other, of highschool graduate Vivien Thomas, is testimony to the incredible genius and determination of the first black man to hold a professional position at one of America's premier medical institutions.

Thomas's dreams of attending medical school were dashed when the Depression hit. After spending some time as a carpenter's apprentice, Thomas took what he expected to be a temporary job as a technician in Blalock's lab. The two men soon became partners and together invented the field of cardiac surgery.

Partners of the Heart is Thomas's extraordinary autobiography. Trained in laboratory techniques by Alfred Blalock and Joseph W. Beard, Thomas remained Blalock's principal technician and laboratory chief for the rest of Blalock's distinguished career. Thomas very rapidly learned to perform surgery, to do chemical determinations, and to carry out physiologic studies. He became a phenomenal technician and was able to carry out complicated experimental cardiac operations totally unassisted and to devise new ones.

In addition to telling Thomas's life story, Partners of the Heart traces the beginnings of modern cardiac surgery, crucial investigations into the nature of shock, and Blalock's methods of training surgeons.

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