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 ...
yep.....This man was one of Gods best.
RIP DOCTOR...Thank You,........
Cushing .....or DeBakey...HA...Blow a valve.....git your ass to Houston....
DeBakey did some 60K operations along with teaching others and inventing new devices, how does that compare to the geniuses you have known?
Clever....clever.
20 years in Boston hospitals only shows your limited exposure to the world of medicine.
Maybe you're right.What can one possibly learn about the world of medicine by working where I did for as long as I did?
My Mom, a graduate of Tuft's School of Medicine, also found the type of medicine practiced in "New England" very restrictive.
Given that New England medicine is so....ordinary...I'd be curious to learn why your mother chose Tufts rather than....say....the University of North Arkansas.And I'd also be curious to hear whether or not she believes that her Tufts degree might have opened doors for her,career-wise,that might not have been opened to a graduate of the University of North Arkansas.And I'd also be curious to hear what she means by "very restrictive".Is that a way of affirming the wisdom of the command contained in the Hippocratic Oath "first,do no harm"....?
For better or for worse Boston is the world capital of medicine and has been for years.It certainly might not be so 20 years from now (there are stories around here these days saying that given the outrageous prices of homes around here promising young doctors are going elsewhere).Boston surely isn't the only place where one can get excellent health care.But when push comes to shove it's still one of the handful of cities that people in India or Indiana want to go to for a cure of their rare,deadly ailment.
bttt for a great man!
Given that Cushing was a neurosurgeon going to DeBakey for a blown heart valve might have been the wiser choice.
The Mayo Clinic is the exception to the rule...a world class research center in a relatively rural area.And I have no doubt that one can receive outstanding care in Atlanta....which is by no means a small town.
Condolences to his family and friends. He will be remembered a long, long time.
RIP.
I think that if you were to put aside your sweeping generalizations and go and review the topic for which Nobel prizes have been awarded in Medicine and Physiology for the last 20 or 30 years, or more, you will find that it is in the general area of molecular biology, and not in clinical surgical practice.
The difference is not just academic, pun very much intended.
Second you would discover that there are not actually that many live Nobel prize winners walking the halls of Boston institutions and that the list is spread all over the world.
Surely a 4-star general in God’s army of medical scientists is Dr. Michael E. DeBakey. The Lord bestowed many gifts upon him. Rest in peace dear brother.
Great story.tells a lot about what kind of man he was.
RIP Dr DeBakey
Yes,I'm aware of that and,yes,I was engaging in a bit of hyperbole.But the best medicine in the world is being practiced at the best research centers and you'll find those centers in the cities I mentioned earlier...and maybe one or two others (like New Haven).
HS
Maybe because the latter doesn't exist?
Does Boston have any treatment programs for advanced cases of snobbery?
Yes, he did heart surgery on my grand mother and saved her life. Unfortunately, she decided to go on smoking again, about 5 packs a day, and tanked about 3 years later.
Boston is the world capital of medicine.San Francisco is the world capital of debauchery.Tennessee is the world capital of jazz.London.....fog.Dublin....beer.No "snobbery" involved in any of those claims.
“Boston is the world capital of medicine.”
Repeating a personal opinion doesn’t turn it into a fact.
I was thinking specifically of the CDC. The American Cancer society is across the street, and Emory about a quarter mile up Clifton. But that's more epidemiology than surgery.
Dallas is a larger city than Atlanta, and in case you've forgotten, this sub-thread began with you doubting DeBakey's greatness because he chose to practice there.
The point you seem to be missing is that it is institutions, not cities, that create centers of medical learning. In addition to Atlanta, Dallas and Rochester, you'll find top-ranked medical centers in Durham, Nashville, Cleveland, Ann Arbor and Palo Alto, for starters.
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