Vivien Thomas
Dr. Vivien Thomas | |
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Vanderbilt University Hospital | |
Research | Blue baby syndrome, Atrial septostomy |
Dr. Vivien Theodore Thomas (August 29, 1910
A
Background
Vivien Thomas writes in his autobiography, published shortly after his death, that he was born in
Thomas attended Pearl High School in Nashville in the 1920s, and graduated in 1929.[13] Thomas' father was a carpenter, and took pleasure in passing down his expertise to his sons. Thomas worked with his father and brothers every day after school and on Saturdays, doing jobs such as measuring, sawing, and nailing.[14] This experience proved beneficial to Thomas, as he was able to secure a carpentry job at Fisk University repairing facility damages after graduating from high school.[14] Thomas had hoped to attend college and become a doctor, but the Great Depression derailed his plans.[15] Thomas intended to work hard, save money, and gain a higher education as soon as he could afford it. Determined to broaden his skill set, in 1930 he reached out to childhood friend Charles Manlove (who was working at Vanderbilt University at the time) to ask if there were any jobs available.[16]
Career
In the wake of the
Thomas struggled with finances despite saving most of what he earned. The salaries that he received did not provide enough comfort for him to quit his laboratory research job and go back to school. Nashville's banks failed nine months after Thomas started his job with Blalock, and his savings were wiped out.[17] He abandoned his plans for college and medical school, relieved to have even a low-paying job as the Great Depression deepened. Thomas continued working with Blalock and saving his earnings, so that he could provide for his daughters and wife the best he could.[21]
Working with Blalock
Vanderbilt
Thomas and Blalock did groundbreaking research into the causes of hemorrhagic
Johns Hopkins
By 1940, the work Blalock had done with Thomas placed Blalock at the forefront of American surgery, and when he was offered the position of Chief of Surgery at his alma mater Johns Hopkins in 1941,[26] he requested that Thomas accompany him.[26] Thomas arrived in Baltimore with his family in June of that year,[27] confronting a severe housing shortage and a level of racism worse than they had endured in Nashville.[28] Johns Hopkins, like the rest of Baltimore, was rigidly segregated, and the only Black employees at the institution were janitors. When Thomas walked the halls in his white lab coat, many heads turned, and he began wearing city clothes when he walked from the laboratory to Blalock's office because he received so much attention.[29] During this time, he lived in the 1200 block of Caroline Street in the community now known as Oliver, Baltimore.
Blue baby syndrome
In 1943, while pursuing his shock research, Blalock was approached by
Decisive surgery
On November 29, 1944, the procedure was first tried on an eighteen-month-old infant named
News of this groundbreaking story was circulated around the world by the
Skills
Thomas' surgical techniques included one he developed in 1946 for improving circulation in patients whose great vessels (the aorta and the pulmonary artery) were transposed.[41] A complex operation called an atrial septectomy, the procedure was executed so flawlessly by Thomas that Blalock, upon examining the nearly undetectable suture line, was prompted to remark, "Vivien, this looks like something the Lord made."[41] To the host of young surgeons Thomas trained during the 1940s,[42] he became a figure of legend, the model of a dexterous and efficient cutting surgeon. "Even if you'd never seen surgery before, you could do it because Vivien made it look so simple," the renowned surgeon Denton Cooley[36] told Washingtonian magazine in 1989. "There wasn't a false move, not a wasted motion, when he operated." Surgeons like Cooley, along with Alex Haller,[43] Frank Spencer,[44] Rowena Spencer,[45] and others credited Thomas with teaching them the surgical technique that placed them at the forefront of medicine in the United States. Despite the deep respect Thomas was accorded by these surgeons and by the many Black lab assistants he trained at Hopkins, he was not well paid.[46] He sometimes resorted to working as a bartender, often at Blalock's parties. This led to the peculiar circumstance of his serving drinks to people he had been teaching earlier in the day. Eventually, after negotiations on his behalf by Blalock, he became the highest-paid assistant at Johns Hopkins by 1946, and by far the highest-paid African American on the institution's rolls.[47] Although Thomas never wrote or spoke publicly about his ongoing desire to return to college and obtain a medical degree, his widow, the late Clara Flanders Thomas, revealed in a 1987 interview with Washingtonian writer Katie McCabe that her husband had clung to the possibility of further education throughout the blue baby period, and had abandoned the idea only with great reluctance. Mrs. Thomas stated that in 1947 Thomas had investigated the possibility of enrolling in college and pursuing his dream of becoming a doctor, but had been deterred by the inflexibility of Morgan State University, which refused to grant him credit for life experience and insisted that he fulfill the standard freshman requirements. Realizing that he would be 50 years old by the time he completed college and medical school, Thomas decided to give up the idea of further education.
Relations with Blalock
Vivien Thomas felt nervous when he first met Dr. Alfred Blalock because his friend Charles Manlove made it apparent that many people had a hard time working with Blalock. However, Thomas found Blalock to be pleasant, relaxed, and informal during his interview, which provided excitement and comfort.[48] Thomas soon learned that Blalock moved quickly and expected his technicians to be just as efficient. As Blalock performed experiments daily, Thomas observed thoroughly so that he would be able to recreate the steps when Blalock had other responsibilities to attend to.[48] However, there were times when Blalock would lose his temper and use profanity; this often bothered Thomas and threatened their stable working relationship.[49]
During Thomas' time working at Vanderbilt in the lab, he struggled with his salary because he needed to be able to provide for himself, but he also was saving up to go back to school. After many encounters with Blalock about a pay raise and no results, Thomas was going to return to his old job as a carpenter. However, Blalock saw Thomas as a valuable asset and did everything he could to keep Thomas from leaving.[49] Blalock's approach to the issue of Thomas' race was complicated and contradictory throughout their 34-year partnership. Thomas, a laboratory technician, was paid only a janitorial salary. However, white men performing an equivalent of Thomas' job were paid an appreciable dollar more per hour.[21] On the one hand, Blalock defended his choice of Thomas to his superiors at Vanderbilt and to Johns Hopkins colleagues, and he insisted that Thomas accompany him in the operating room during the first series of tetralogy operations. On the other hand, there were limits to his tolerance, especially when it came to issues of pay, academic acknowledgment, and his social interaction outside of work. Tension with Blalock continued to build when he failed to recognize the contributions that Thomas had made in the world-famous blue baby procedure, which led to a rift in their relationship. Thomas was absent in official articles about the procedure, as well as in team pictures that included all of the doctors involved in the procedure.[50]
After Blalock's death from cancer in 1964 at the age of 65,
Thomas' nephew, Koco Eaton, graduated from the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, trained by many of the physicians his uncle had trained. Eaton trained in
Institutional acknowledgment
In 1968, the surgeons Thomas trained — who had then become chiefs of surgical departments throughout America — commissioned the painting of his portrait (by Bob Gee, oil on canvas, 1969, The Johns Hopkins Alan Mason Chesney Medical Archives)[53] and arranged to have it hung next to Blalock's in the lobby of the Alfred Blalock Clinical Sciences Building.
In 1976, Johns Hopkins University presented Thomas with an honorary doctorate.
In July 2005, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine began the practice of splitting incoming first-year students into four colleges, each named for famous Hopkins faculty members who had had a major impact on the history of medicine. Thomas was chosen as one of the four, along with
Personal life and death
In the summer of 1933, Thomas met Clara Beatrice Flanders. Thomas was so fond of Flanders that he married her that same year on December 22, and the newlywed couple moved to Nashville, Tennessee.[21] The couple had two daughters. Olga Fay, the oldest, was born in 1934, and Theodosia Patricia was born 4 years later in 1938.[21]
In 1941, Thomas and his family moved to Baltimore so that he could continue working with Blalock.
In 1971, Thomas was recognized for all his work "behind the scenes" with a ceremony and the presentation of his portrait to the medical institution.[54] Thomas spoke humbly to the full-capacity auditorium. He stated that he lived in humble satisfaction that he was able to help solve some of the world's numerous health problems. He was overjoyed that he was finally getting recognition for his significant role in the research leading to developmental skills that many surgeons had begun to practice.
On July 1, 1976, Thomas was appointed to the faculty as Instructor of Surgery; Thomas served in that capacity for 3 years and retired in 1979.[54]
A member of the Sharp Street Memorial United Methodist Church, he was named Man of the Year in 1980 by the Madison Avenue Presbyterian Church.[55]
Following his retirement, Thomas began work on an autobiography.[56] He died of pancreatic cancer on November 26, 1985. He was survived by his wife, Clara née Flanders, their two daughters, and three granddaughters.[55] His autobiography was published just days later.
Legacy
Having learned about Thomas on the day of his death, Washingtonian writer Katie McCabe brought his story to public attention in a 1989 article entitled "Like Something the Lord Made", which won the 1990
Thomas' legacy as an educator and scientist continued with the institution of the Vivien Thomas Young Investigator Awards, given by the Council on Cardiovascular Surgery and Anesthesiology beginning in 1996. In 1993, the
Vanderbilt University Medical Center created the Vivien T. Thomas Award for Excellence in Clinical Research, recognizing excellence in conducting clinical research.[60] The award is named The Vivian T. Thomas award for Excellence in Clinical Research, not the "Vivian A. Thomas" award as cited from a June 20, 2019, article from the VUMC Reporter.
See also
References
- S2CID 31036235.
- ISBN 978-1-4568-5119-4. Retrieved February 14, 2012.
- ^ a b c d "Vivien T. Thomas, L.L.D." Medical archives. Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions. Retrieved March 18, 2014.
- ^ a b "Almost a Miracle". Hopkinsmedicine.org. Archived from the original on March 2, 2012. Retrieved March 8, 2012.
- ISBN 978-1-63669-689-8. Retrieved January 12, 2022.
- ISBN 978-1-63669-689-8. Retrieved January 12, 2022.
- ISBN 978-1-4646-1123-0. Retrieved January 12, 2022.
- PMID 26811040. Retrieved January 12, 2022.
- ISBN 978-0-7172-6099-7. Retrieved January 12, 2022.
- ^ "U.S., World War II Draft Cards Young Men, 1940-1947". Ancestry.com. Retrieved January 12, 2022.
- ^ "Vivien Thomas, pioneer in surgical research, dies". The Baltimore Sun. November 27, 1985. p. 55. Retrieved January 12, 2022.
- ^ Thomas 1985, p. 3.
- ^ Thomas 1985, p. 5.
- ^ a b Thomas 1985, pp. 2–5
- ^ Thomas 1985, p. 8.
- ^ Thomas 1985, p. 7.
- ^ a b Thomas 1985, p. 9.
- ^ Thomas 1985, p. 12.
- ^ Thomas 1985, pp. 9–13.
- ^ Thomas 1985, p. 43.
- ^ a b c d Thomas 1985, pp. 40–50.
- ^ a b Thomas 1985, p. 33.
- ^ Thomas 1985, p. 48.
- ^ a b Thomas 1985, p. 66.
- ^ a b Thomas 1985, p. 67.
- ^ a b Thomas 1985, p. 38.
- ^ Thomas 1985, p. 57.
- ^ Thomas 1985, p. 58.
- S2CID 22674747.
- ^ a b Thomas 1985, p. 80.
- ^ a b Thomas 1985, p. 89.
- ^ Thomas 1985, p. 82.
- ^ Thomas 1985, p. 86.
- ^ Thomas 1985, p. 91.
- ^ "Like Something the Lord Made". Retrieved June 8, 2017 – via Longform Reprints.
- ^ a b c Thomas 1985, p. 92.
- ^ a b c Thomas 1985, p. 97.
- ^ a b Thomas 1985, p. 94.
- ^ a b c Thomas 1985, p. 96.
- ^ a b Thomas 1985, p. 99.
- ^ a b Thomas 1985, p. 122.
- ^ Thomas 1985, p. 109.
- ^ Thomas 1985, pp. 154–155.
- ^ Thomas 1985, pp. 175, 194.
- ^ Thomas 1985, p. 121.
- ^ Thomas 1985, pp. 130–135.
- ^ Thomas 1985, p. 142.
- ^ a b Thomas 1985, pp. 11–14.
- ^ a b Thomas 1985, pp. 14–20.
- ^ Thomas, Vivien. Mr. Vivien Thomas Discusses Dr. Alfred Blalock. p. 21.[full citation needed]
- ^ Thomas 1985, p. 214.
- ^ "Tampa Bay Rays Front Office Directory: Baseball Operations". mlb.com. Retrieved January 6, 2024.
- ^ a b Thomas 1985, p. 219.
- ^ a b Thomas 1985, pp. 175–230.
- ^ a b "The Baltimore Sun 27 Nov 1985, page 55". Newspapers.com. Retrieved February 3, 2024.
- ISBN 0-8122-1634-2.[page needed]
- ^ OAH.org Archived June 3, 2009, at the Wayback Machine, OAH Erik Barnouw Award Winners
- ^ "Like Something the Lord Made; The Vivien Thomas Story". Washingtonian. October 29, 2007. Retrieved March 8, 2012.
- ^ JSCR Website
- ^ "Office of Research: School of Medicine Research Staff Awards". vumc.org. Retrieved January 6, 2024.
Bibliography
- McCabe, Katie (August 1989). "Like Something the Lord Made". Washingtonian.
- Reprinted — "Like Something the Lord Made". Retrieved June 8, 2017 – via Longform Reprints.
- Reprinted in Jay Friedlander and John Lee (eds.). Feature Writing for Newspapers and Magazines: The Pursuit of Excellence.
- Revised as "Like Something the Lord Made; The Vivien Thomas Story". Washingtonian. October 29, 2007.
- Thomas, Vivien (1985). Pioneering Research in Surgical Shock and Cardiovascular Surgery: Vivien Thomas and his Work with Alfred Blalock: an Autobiography. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press. ISBN 978-0-8122-7989-4.
- Thomas, Vivien (1998). Partners of the Heart: Vivien Thomas and His Work with Alfred Blalock (pbk. ed.). University of Pennsylvania Press. ISBN 0-8122-1634-2. (originally published as Pioneering Research in Surgical Shock and Cardiovascular Surgery: Vivien Thomas and His Work with Alfred Blalock).
- (2003) Timmermans Stefan, "A Black Technician and Blue Babies", in Social Studies of Science 33:2 (April 2003), 197–229.
- (2006) Tsung O. Cheng, "American Journal of Cardiology97:3 (February 1, 2006), 435–436.
- (2003). Partners of the Heart. American Experience, PBS.
- (2004) Something the Lord Made, Mos Def.