BHS Day 18: Vivien Thomas

Hi! This week we're finally focusing on the Medical third of this Spotlight and a pioneer who is responsible for helping save countless lives with his work in the field. The Medical Spotlights are always among my favorites mainly because Black accomplishments in that field have never received the same attention as White accomplishments. I love talking about Black excellence in every way, but medical Black excellence is one I enjoy learning about the most. Hell, I owe today's entrant a thank you. Because of his achievements, he opened the door to what later helped save my mom's life a year and a half ago. 

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Name: Vivien Thomas, 1910-1985

Profession: Medical lab supervisor, surgical research assistant, instructor

Why is the Spotlight on him today? For his groundbreaking contributions to the medical industry and the countless lives he has since been responsible for saving or prolonging

Notables:

--Alongside his medical partner Dr. Alfred Blalock, experimented with cardiac and vascular surgery, which eventually led to their performing the first cardiac surgery

--Helped with the creation of the lifesaving treatment of blue baby syndrome (cyanotic heart disease), which is a defect that reroutes blood past the lungs, causing oxygen deprivation and a blue tint to the skin

--Was in charge of the test operations of blue baby syndrome, which had him testing the procedure on dogs; the first long-term survivor of the procedure was a dog named Anna, who had her picture hung in the hospital

--Recrafted the tools used during the animal operation tests to make them suitable for human operations

--Walked his partner through the procedure on a human patient, due to rules not allowing for Blacks to lead surgeries or operate on humans

--Was notably left out of the medical accomplishments that he was part of, with the credit being given to his White colleagues despite his research and knowledge being a main driver behind the success of multiple procedures

--Was later included in the name for the procedure to fix blue baby syndrome, which is officially named the Blalock-Thomas-Taussig shunt 

--Developed a procedure, atrial septectomy, that helped patients with their great vessels in the wrong places, which would affect their circulation

--Taught many medical students, some of whom went on to become notable surgeons in their own right, who gave him credit for their surgical techniques and skills

--Notably faced racism for a large part of his career, including at Johns Hopkins, which was still segregated for some time after his arrival

--Was part of the research team behind different kinds of shock affecting soldiers in World War II, which led to the development of a plan to counter crush syndrome, when skeletal muscle injuries cause shock and organ failure

--Was able to convince his medical partner through his work that corrective measures could successfully be performed on human patients with heart issues

--Served as the medical supervisor at Johns Hopkins for 35 years, both before and after the hospital was racially integrated

--Was often the brain behind the proof of different surgical methods and procedures, which his White partner usually received the credit and acknowledgment for, both in public and even in the partner's personal records

--While working as a surgical assistant, was able to start performing surgeries on his own despite not being able to finish his formal education

--Was able to do the work of a postdoctoral assistant despite receiving a janitor's pay and official classification, likely because of his race

--At one time, was the highest paid medical assistant and the highest paid African-American in the hospital

--Was later honored by Johns Hopkins for his work with an honorary Doctorate of Laws and the official title of instructor of surgery for the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine

--Became the director of Hopkins Surgical Research Laboratories and mentored many up and coming surgeons, one of them being another Black pioneer in the field of medicine

--Later partnered with that doctor, Levi Watkins, to implant the first successful automatic defibrillator in a human patient

--Was later honored by his former mentees, who had gone on to achieve medical greatness in their own rights, with a collective commissioning of his portrait, which is hung next to his partner's in the Alfred Blalock Clinical Sciences Building

--Was posthumously honored by the college with a building renamed after him in recognition of the impact he and three others made in the medical world

--Was the inspiration behind the autobiographical film Something the Lord Made, which went on to win an Emmy and Peabody Award

--Was posthumously honored by the creation of the Vivien Thomas Young Investigator Awards, which is an award given out by the Council of Cardiovascular Surgery and Anesthesiology

--Is the posthumous namesake of a Baltimore public school, where a replica of his commissioned portrait is hung 

Further reading and resources:

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Quotes of the Day:

"This looks like something the Lord made."

-Dr. Alfred Blalock, in response to Dr. Thomas' surgical skills

"He was the most untalked about, unappreciated, unknown giant in the African-American community."

-Dr. Levi Watkins, Jr., about Dr. Thomas

Today's organization: Student National Medical Association (SNMA)

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What does this organization provide? Representation and support for underrepresented minority students in the medical field, helping to provide that support to underrepresented communities, increase the amount of minorities on medical faculties, and end sexist practices keeping female and minority medical students from receiving quality education. 

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See you tomorrow!