Sir William Osler, M.D., C.M.

Sir William Osler impacted medical education and the practice of medicine like few other physicians. As a writer, he authored nearly 1500 publications and lent his name to numerous eponyms. As a teacher he educated vast numbers of students and through his legacy impacted countless more. Sir William Osler (Fig. 1) epitomized what a physician should be throughout his professional life

Theodor Billroth and his musical life.

Although most widely recognized for the two types of gastric reconstructions that bear his name, Christian Albert Theodor Billroth was one of the most innovative surgeons of his time. His contributions included developing techniques for procedures on the larynx, breast, and esophagus. He pioneered sterility and antisepsis in operating rooms. He also improved surgical education by advocating for longer apprenticeships, which helped create a framework for today’s residency programs. However, what often goes unnoticed was Dr. Billroth’s love for music, a passion that fueled him throughout his life

James Marion Sims, M.D., LL.D.

Few physicians have been as celebrated and loathed as James Marion Sims, M.D., LL.D. Dr. Sims’ modest early life and education never could have predicted that he would one day be called the ‘‘Father of American Gynecology.’’1, 2 Lauded by contemporaries and early historians as ‘‘one of the most original and gifted of American surgeons,’’ he performed the first successful operation to correct vesicovaginal fistulas (a condition that prior to 1852 was known as the ‘‘stumbling-block of gynecology’’).1 Today, the same work that earned Dr. Sims fame, fortune, and innumerable honors has been called into question, because of the unethical manner in which he developed his surgical innovation

Robert Milton Zollinger, M.D., teacher, surgeon, soldier, and farmer.

From Humble roots, Dr. Robert Milton Zollinger worked his way to a position in history among the giants of American surgery. He was born on September 4, 1903, in the central Ohio town of Millersport, the son of Elmira and William Zollinger. Neither of his parents had a high school education, but they supported education and always expressed a confidence that young Robert would be successful at anything he attempted.1 He had aspirations of attending West Point, a dream that was never fulfilled when he decided to be a surgeon. On being informed of his son’s intentions, Zollinger’s father bestowed on him advice that he ostensibly adhered to throughout his career: ‘‘If you are going to be a doctor, be a good one.’

Baron Guillaume Dupuytren: when brilliance combats professionalism.

Baron Guilluame Dupuytren was a French anatomist and surgeon who practiced during the 1800s and is considered by some to be the most brilliant and gifted surgeons of his time. His contributions to the field of surgery are quite extensive, yet his eccentric personality and attitude toward his colleagues, students, and patients raises a very interesting question: could Dr. Dupuytren (Fig. 1) and his many contributions to the field of surgery have thrived in today’s era of professionalism? The concept of professionalism is emphasized to medical students starting from day one of their medical training. How would Dr. Dupuytren, an esteemed anatomist, react to the idea that students are introduced to the idea of professionalism before entering the cadaver laboratory

John Blair Deaver, M.D., and his marvelous retractor.

John Blair Deaver was born near Buck, Pennsylvania, in Lancaster County on July 25, 1855, to Dr. Joshua Montgomery Deaver and Elizabeth Clair Moore. The elder Deaver was a reputable country physician, educated at the University of Maryland, who fathered three physicians and a college president. John Blair Deaver (Fig. 1) went to boarding school at West Nottingham Academy in Maryland. After boarding school he taught in Lancaster County country schools to raise funds to attend the nation’s first medical school, the University of Pennsylvania. On receiving his M.D. degree in 1878, Dr. Deaver completed 1-year internships at both Germantown Hospital and Philadelphia Children’s Hospital, after which he embarked into clinical practice. Alongside his brother, Dr. Harry Clay Deaver, he made home visits to patients to perform surgeries as well as managed a busy 16th Street and Vine Street Philadelphia office

The evolution of cauterization: from the hot iron to the Bovie.

The Bovie electrocautery has become a fundamental tool of modern-day surgery, particularly for its integral role in hemostasis, yet despite this landmark invention and its widespread use, there is very little said about the man behind the machine: William T. Bovie. It would be thousands of years from the inception of cautery in medicine until the birth of Dr. Bovie and his device. However, his work in biophysics and collaboration with Dr. Harvey Cushing would revolutionize surgical practice in the early 20th century and forever ingrain his name into the field of surgery

John H. Gibbon, Jr., M.D.: surgical innovator, pioneer, and inspiration.

Throughout history there have been many discoveries that have changed the world, including Albert Einstein’s theory of relativity, Alexander Graham Bell’s telephone, and Jack Kilby and Robert Noyce’s microchip. There are a few analogous contributions that have been made in medicine: Sir Alexander’s discovery of penicillin, Lister’s principles of antiseptic technique, Salk and Sabin’s vaccines for polio, as well as numerous others. These innovative thinkers all had two factors in common. First, they were pioneers who faced problems that had no solutions at the time and who refused to accept the status quo in the face of great scrutiny and resistance. Second, their contributions would forever change the world. In 1930, a profound experience with a patient would forever change Dr. John H. Gibbon, Jr. and stimulate an idea to create a device that at the time sounded audacious and impossible. His device would temporarily take the role of both the heart and lungs to make repairs inside the heart or the great vessels. Twentythree years later, Dr. Gibbon used his machine to perform the first successful bypass-assisted open heart surgery

Rectal Prolapse

Rectal prolapse is a condition that usually requires surgical intervention to correct. Abdominal and perineal approaches are well described in the literature. Abdominal approaches have traditionally been reserved for young healthy patients, but this has been challenged by perineal approaches with excellent outcomes. Laparoscopic techniques have been shown to be effective and equivalent to traditional laparotomy techniques

Vivien Thomas: master craftsman, gifted teacher, and unsung hero.

The field of pediatric cardiovascular surgery gained international recognition in 1944 with the first successful correction of a tetralogy of Fallot congenital anomaly in a 15-month-old patient. Dr. Helen Taussig (1898 to 1986), a pediatrician at Johns Hopkins Hospital, recognized the need for the procedure. Dr. Alfred Blalock (1899 to 1964), Chief of Surgery at Johns Hopkins Hospital, is credited with performing the surgery. However, there is an unsung hero who for many years did not receive a single mention in the medical literature. Vivien Thomas (1910 to 1985) was Dr. Blalock’s research assistant who is said to have stood directly behind him during the ‘‘blue baby’’ procedures, providing Dr. Blalock with support and advice