The excerpt doesn't do the story justice. His awesome
accomplishments listed in this obituary go on and on ...
Posted on 07/12/2008 5:11:33 AM PDT by Zakeet
Dr. Michael Ellis DeBakey, internationally acclaimed as the father of modern cardiovascular surgery — and considered by many to be the greatest surgeon ever — died Friday night at The Methodist Hospital in Houston. He was 99.
Methodist officials said DeBakey died of natural causes. They gave no additional details.
Medical statesman, chancellor emeritus of Baylor College of Medicine, and a surgeon at The Methodist Hospital since 1949, DeBakey trained thousands of surgeons over several generations, achieving legendary status decades before his death. During his career, he estimated he had performed more than 60,000 operations. His patients included the famous — Russian President Boris Yeltsin and movie actress Marlene Dietrich among them — and the uncelebrated.
"Dr. DeBakey singlehandedly raised the standard of medical care, teaching and research around the world," said Dr. George Noon, a cardiovascular surgeon and longtime partner of DeBakey's. "He was the greatest surgeon of the 20th century, and physicians everywhere are indebted to him for his contributions to medicine."
Debakey almost died in 2006, when he suffered an aortic aneurysm, a condition for which he pioneered the treatment. He is considered the oldest patient to have both undergone and survived surgery for it. He recovered well enough to go to Washington earlier this year to receive the Congressional Gold Medal, one of the nation's two highest civilian honors.
He remained vigorous and was a player in medicine well into his 90s, performing surgeries, traveling and publishing articles in scientific journals. His large hands were steady, his hearing sharp. His personal health regimen included taking the stairs at work and a single cup of coffee in the morning.
(Excerpt) Read more at chron.com ...
The excerpt doesn't do the story justice. His awesome
accomplishments listed in this obituary go on and on ...
Didn’t he also author the song, “I left your heart in San Francisco”?
Dr. DeBakey would make my list of the 100 Greatest Americans. He trained Dr. Wayne Isom, who saved by brother-in-law’s life by improvising a new technique while his chest was open—a complete change from the surgery plan.
He invented Emergency Medicine. Believe me, Baylor College of Medicine will soon be Debakey College of Medicine, and it should be, because that is what it is.
It always makes me a little sad when someone passes at 99 because they’re so close to acheiving their centennial, but I doubt it matters that much to them.
For "the greatest surgeon ever" I think one must look up names like Dr Harvey Cushing for starters.
In WW II, he developed the concept of the MASH unit - and, together with the atraumatic vascular clamp which he invented, saved thousands of arms and legs otherwise destined to be amputated.
I would like to give a personal testimony to this great man. Back in the early 70’s my friend wrote a letter to Dr. DeBakey explaining how her invalid mother had been housebound for years due to her heart problems. She lived in a small town in Southern Illinois and was a housewife all her life and now totally incapacitated due to her heart.
Within the week that my friend sent the letter, Dr. Debakey called my friend’s mother on a Friday night and talked to her personally. She told him she did not have insurance and didn’t know if she had enough money for him to treat her. He told her if she could get to Texas, the hospital expenses would be around $10,000 and she wouldn’t have to worry about his $5000 fee, he did her surgery for no charge.
She lived many years after her surgery. What a great, kind man. May he rest in peace.
I assume that the College of Medicine at Baylor will be named after him - how could it be otherwise?
When DeBakey was in the building The Methodist Hospital of Houston was the finest medical center in the world.
Well, surgeons are a competitive bunch - but there is NO cardiac or vascular surgeon in Boston, NY, SF, or otherwise who does not stand on the shoulders of Michael DeBakey - and none of them, crazy egotistical though they are, would say otherwise.
Horsehockey! Houston and Dallas and Galveston have some of the greatest medical centers in the world....from vascular surgery to chemotherapy to cardiovascular to reconstructive surgery.
As far as Dr. DeBakey, I suggest you read here. http://www.houston.va.gov/debakey.asp
You are Exhibit A for the reason the rest of the country disdains northeasterners. Perhaps if you got out and traveled a little more, your lack of education and humility could be remedied.
He invented the roller heart pump—while in medical school. He sewed up the first artificial artery out of Dacron himself, on his wife's sewing machine. He had over 50 inventions, the last one mentioned in the article in 2004 when he was 94—a child-sized heart pump.
I am in awe. Now THAT's a physician.
I don't know much,my FRiend,but I do know a bit about the world of medicine (note that I said "world of" and not "practice of").I've bumped into more Nobel Prize winners in the corridors of the (Boston) hospital where I worked for 20+ years than you've had hot dinners.And I can assure you that while Methodist Hospital is,no doubt,an excellent hospital (with or without DeBakey) it can't hold a candle to dozens of hospitals in the cities I've mentioned....as well as one or two others.
Al Gore? Jimmy Carter?
20 years in Boston hospitals only shows your limited exposure to the world of medicine. My Dad, a cardiovascular physiologist, chose Baylor School of Medicine over Tuft's and Mass General after 2 years of exposure to "New England" medicine. My Mom, a graduate of Tuft's School of Medicine, also found the type of medicine practiced in "New England" very restrictive.
Every time I go into surgery I am using hemostats and needle holders that were designed by this man. He sure made my technique better with his designed instruments.
I've done a fair amount of traveling in my day.Feel free to check my profile page if you're curious as to where I've traveled.
...your lack of education....
Particularly in light of the fact that you haven't the foggiest idea of my educational credentials (or my life experiences) you've gotta admit that that's a cheap shot.
....and humility could be remedied.
How does "humility" enter into this....except,perhaps,where DeBakey is described as "the greatest surgeon ever"? That sounds like the statement of a hospital administrator who trying to enhance the margins of the hospital that he/she runs (Methodist?) or a surgeon (or group of surgeons)who's trying to ride DeBakey's coattails.
"Greatest surgeon ever"? If you want to discuss humility focus first on *that* statement.
What we have here, folks, is a classic case of a Metropollyanna. Someone hwo believes that all social, cultural, economic and scientific life is centered around a handful of cities, and everyone who doesn't live in one of them desperately wants to.
Show me a doctor who's passionate about expanding the field of medical knowledge, and I'll show you a doctor who would dearly love to work in Rochester, Minnesota, or in Atlanta.
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