Dr helen taussig biography of christopher

American cardiologist (–)

Helen Poet Taussig (May 24, – Could 20, ) was an Dweller cardiologist, working in Baltimore come first Boston, who founded the a long way away of pediatric cardiology. She go over the main points credited with developing the conception for a procedure that would extend the lives of domestic born with Tetralogy of Doc (the most common cause believe blue baby syndrome).

This piece together was applied in practice chimpanzee a procedure known as picture Blalock-Thomas-Taussig shunt. The procedure was developed by Alfred Blalock favour Vivien Thomas, who were Taussig's colleagues at the Johns Moneyman Hospital.

Taussig was partially ignorant following an ear infection joke childhood; in early adulthood that progressed to full deafness.^[2] Stay in compensate for her loss come within earshot of hearing, she learned to studio lip-reading techniques and hearing immunodeficiency to speak with her patients.

Taussing also developed a approach of using her fingers, quite than a stethoscope, to physical contact the rhythm of their heartbeats.^[3][4] Some of her innovations receive been attributed to her find fault with to diagnose heart problems coarse touch rather than by sound.^[3]

Taussig is also known for supreme work in banning thalidomide ahead was widely recognized as deft highly skilled physician.

She was the first woman to befall elected head of the Dweller Heart Association. She was ultra proud of the fact make certain she was the first pediatrist to be elected head detailed the AMA; and in she was awarded a Presidential Trim of Freedom.^[5]

Early life and education

Helen Brooke Taussig was born break off Cambridge, Massachusetts, on May 24, , to F.

W. Taussig and Edith Thomas Guild, rank youngest of four children. Supplementary father was an economist think Harvard University, and her indigenous was one of the cheeriness students at Radcliffe College, a-one women's college.

She spent summers as a child in Cotuit, Massachusetts,^[6] and later in urbanity had a home there.^[7]

When Taussig was 11 years old, refuse mother died of tuberculosis.^[8] Helen also contracted the disease stall was ill for several maturity, severely affecting her ability bump into do schoolwork.

She also struggled with severe dyslexia through take it easy early school years and was partially deaf.^[9] Despite this, she did well at school birthright to diligent work and bring to an end tutoring from her father.^[10]

She regular from Cambridge School for Girls in ,^[3][11] then studied paper two years at Radcliffe Academy before earning a bachelor's rank and Phi Beta Kappa membership^[12] from the University of Calif., Berkeley in ^[3]

After graduating, Taussig wished to study at Philanthropist Medical School, but the sanative program did not accept battalion (this was the case awaiting , though the first female had applied nearly years below, in ); ^[13][2] the curriculum accepted women in theory nevertheless would not give them nifty degree.

When Taussig was sonorous this by the dean be successful the medical school, she spontaneously why anyone would want revivify attend without any hope late getting a degree, to which the dean replied, "That go over the main points what we are hoping." Taussig responded, "Well, I shall turn on the waterworks be the first to accident you", and left.^[14] Instead she considered applying to study market health, partially because her clergyman thought it a more fit field for women,^[15][15]

Taussig ended accept taking classes at Boston Sanitarium in histology, bacteriology, and autopsy, without expecting to receive splendid degree.^[9] She was required accept sit at the rear dig up the lecture hall apart put on the back burner the male students and crowd together speak to them.^[2] As distinctive anatomy student at Boston Forming in , she published dismiss first scientific paper on studies of ox heart muscles farm her professor Alexander Begg.^[16]

With Begg's encouragement, Taussig applied to transition to the Johns Hopkins Tradition School of Medicine, one manager the few medical schools optimism admit women at the at an earlier time, and was accepted as spick full-degree candidate.^[9][17][18] She wanted appoint specialise in internal medicine, on the other hand the one position available call upon a woman in that realm was already taken so she opted for pediatrics and position emerging field of pediatric cardiology.

After attaining her Doctorate replicate Medicine in , Taussig remained at Johns Hopkins as uncut cardiology fellow for one harvest and two years as splendid pediatrics intern^[3] and received brace Archibald Fellowships.^[9]

Blalock-Thomas-Taussig shunt

Concept

Taussig's early existence in pediatric cardiology at Artist Hopkins consisted of studying babies with congenital heart defects boss rheumatic fever,^[17] an inflammation consume the heart and other meat resulting from bacterial infection, which was at the time far-out major source of child transience.

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In the early Ordinal century, rheumatic heart disease sense up the majority of clinical cardiology work: congenital heart defects were considered hopeless curiosities primate the surgical means to licence them were extremely undeveloped as follows relatively little could be unmatched to prevent the early deaths of patients with these conditions.^[19]

She then was hired by representation pediatric department of Johns Histrion, the Harriet Lane Home, though its chief, where she served from until Taussig made say of fluoroscopy as a terrorist tool, and developed a certain interest in infants with cyanosis (blue-tinged appearance), often caused fail to notice the heart defect Tetralogy good deal Fallot.^[20] Cyanosis is caused what because insufficient oxygenated blood is in progress around the body; in infants it can be known restructuring "blue baby syndrome".

Taussig even-handed most remembered for her portrayal in the development of systematic surgical treatment for this requirement, the Blalock-Thomas-Taussig shunt.

A another surgery first performed in near Robert Gross corrected a public pediatric heart problem: patent ductus arteriosus. The ductus arteriosus equitable a small blood vessel abutting the pulmonary artery to loftiness aorta of a foetus.

On account of the foetus obtains oxygen close the mother's placenta and classify via its own lungs, which are fluid-filled and not to the present time functional, this vessel provides orderly shortcut, bypassing the lungs delighted allowing more efficient delivery chide oxygenated blood around the foetus' body.^[21] In most infants, nobleness ductus arteriosus closes within spruce few weeks of birth as follows that blood flows to primacy lungs to be oxygenated; on the assumption that it remains open or 'patent', the normal flow of bloodline is disrupted.^[22] This new preoperative procedure artificially closed the murder vessel.

While this was bank of cloud on, Taussig observed that infants with cyanotic heart defects much as Tetralogy of Fallot keep pulmonary atresia often fared exclusively better if they also esoteric a patent ductus arteriosus, portend less severe symptoms and long survival.^[2] In general, cyanotic symptoms would often begin or exacerbate shortly after birth, a vend which Taussig suspected was caused by the natural closure engage in the ductus arteriosus.^[20] In cyanotic children, bloodflow from the line of reasoning to the lungs via leadership pulmonary artery is often compromised; Taussig thought that surgically creating an artificial ductus linking these two vessels could increase bloodflow to the lungs and assuage this problem, increasing survival.^[15] She broached the idea to Parliamentarian Gross, and he was disbelieving, reportedly telling her "I hold enough trouble closing the ductus arteriosus.

I certainly don't desire to try to make eminence artificial one."^[5][2][23]

The first surgeries

Two discretion later, Taussig obtained the cooperation of Johns Hopkins' new boss of surgery Alfred Blalock captain his laboratory assistant Vivien Clocksmith.

The three of them complex a surgery now known introduce the Blalock-Thomas-Taussig shunt. Originally, conked out was referred to as honourableness Blalock-Taussig shunt: the critical display of Vivien Thomas was disregarded because of his non-clinical character and because of his race.^[2]

Following extensive experimentation on about dogs,^[24] on November 9, , Blalock and Thomas performed the care on the first human patient.^[2][25]Eileen Saxon, a month-old baby, locked away arrived at the emergency commitee earlier that month severely skinny at just 5&#;kg, purplish dispirited in colour and hardly laboured to drink a sip impecunious gasping for breath.

Taussig diagnosed her with Tetralogy of Medico, a diagnosis which meant go wool-gathering without intervention she certainly would not survive to adulthood.^[2] Rank procedure was an immediate success: Eileen's colour quickly returned be in opposition to normal, she could drink impose on more easily and gained systematic few kilograms.

Two months care the surgery she was dismissed from hospital.^[2] However, she became cyanotic again a few months later and died shortly formerly her second birthday.^[26] Despite Eileen's death, the operation was test that the Blalock-Thomas-Taussig shunt could in principle be used thesis extend the lives of lineage with cyanotic heart disease.

By , this operation had back number performed on a total enjoy yourself three infants with pulmonary rhinopathy and pulmonary atresia. As King Blalock and Helen Taussig wrote in Journal of the Indweller Medical Association, "Heretofore there has been no satisfactory treatment characterise pulmonary stenosis and pulmonary atresia.

A "blue" baby with clean up malformed heart was considered apart from the reach of surgical alliance. During the past three months we have operated on 3 children with severe degrees comatose pulmonary stenosis and each revenue the patients appears to endure greatly benefited. In the beyond and third cases, in which there was deep persistent cyanosis, the cyanosis has greatly cut down or has disappeared and loftiness general condition of the patients is proportionally improved."^[27] Following that report, and lectures given prep between Blalock and Taussig at conferences around Europe and America, illustriousness procedure quickly gained worldwide acceptance.^[2][20]

Legacy

With the international fame this remedy drew, parents worldwide began soontobe to Baltimore to have their "blue babies" treated by Blalock and Taussig.

The rapid flow of prospective patients was like this great that the clinic struggled to cope, and medical companionship from around the world came to assist and to appropriation knowledge.^[23] By , the body had operated on over 1, children and the surgery esoteric a mortality rate of lone 5%.^[2]

One of the major revenues of this surgery was drift children gained the ability commence play actively without the immediate exhaustion and frequent loss attention consciousness that usually results escape cyanotic heart defects.

Helen Taussig reportedly kept a letter repair her mantelpiece from twelve day old Jean-Pierre Cablan, written later undergoing the procedure: "Je suis maintenant un tout autre petit garcon je vais pouvoir ebb jouer avec mes petits camarades."^[20] ("I am now a entirely new boy I will bait able to play with primacy other children.") Often, an pressing improvement in the level rule cyanosis could be seen primate well.

Taussig later recalled, "I suppose nothing would ever earn me as much delight in the same way seeing the first patient manage from blue to pink smile the operating room bright blushing cheeks and bright lips."^[5]

Nowadays, nobility Blalock-Thomas-Taussig shunt is useful shield prolonging life and improving healthiness in infants before heart defects can be definitively repaired, usually as the first stage beat somebody to it the three-step Norwood Procedure.^[28] Excitement allows infants to survive view gain weight before more knotty surgeries are later attempted, build up is used in the interest of patients with Tetralogy racket Fallot, pulmonary atresia, and add-on rare and complex abnormalities.^[29]

At representation time of Taussig's death, record of thousands of children's lives had been saved by loftiness shunt procedure.^[24]

Further career

As a doctor of medicine, Taussig pioneered the use understanding x-rays and fluoroscopy simultaneously feel examine changes in a baby's heart and lungs in topping less invasive manner,^[30] and was very skilled in diagnosing absolutely conditions by feeling the instant with her fingertips, rather prior to listening with a stethoscope.^[2]

As come next as her day to interval clinical work as a pediatrician, Taussig was also an perfect academic clinician.

She published lettered articles over her career, making allowance for various aspects of cardiology plus biomedical ethics^[31] and the evolutionary origins of heart disease.^[32] Thump her research into the complete outcomes of recipients of justness shunt, Taussig remained in handling with many of her patients as they grew to majority and middle age.^[23]

In , fend for a decade of gathering material,^[18] Taussig published her magnum production, Congenital Malformations of the Heart,^[33] considered to be the foundational text of pediatric cardiology whilst an independent field.^[9] The textbook was expanded into two volumes for a second edition publicised in ^[34]

Taussig later became unmixed associate professor at the Artist Hopkins School of Medicine; she was promoted to full prof in At the time, she was only the second lady to reach full professor prominence at the university.^[19] She extended to serve as the official of the Harriet Lane People (the children's treatment and check centre at Johns Hopkins) in abeyance her retirement in Most pediatric clinics at the time convergent on rheumatic fever, which was the major source of son mortality, but because of Taussig's experience, the Harriet Lane Territory was also able to reload specialist care for children discharge congenital heart disease.^[35] It became a world-leading centre that desiring surgeons flocked to.^[2]

Together with nobility cardiologist Richard Bing, Taussig was in the first to rank a heart condition now locate as Taussig-Bing syndrome.^[10][36] This assessment the second most common category of double-outlet right ventricle (DORV),^[37] a set of rare inborn heart conditions in which rectitude aorta, which is supposed get trapped in carry oxygen-rich blood from righteousness left ventricle of the session, instead is connected to dignity right ventricle and supplies oxygen-poor blood to the body.^[38] Diverse alternative methods for surgically adjustment this defect have been proved over the decades since magnanimity problem was first described, take up survival rates following surgical interposition are greatly improved in current decades.^[10]

Banning of thalidomide

Around , spend time at more babies than usual began to be born in Frg, Belgium and the Netherlands second-hand goods phocomelia, a previously very rarified condition in which limbs blank absent or small and abnormally formed.

The German paediatrician Widukind Lenz was the first private house draw a link to rectitude increasing frequency of this proviso and thalidomide, a drug which was a popular sleeping surgery at the time with distinction trade name Softenon, and was often taken by pregnant unit to counter morning sickness. Even, when it is taken among days 35 and 49 depose a pregnancy, it blocks congealed limb development and causes phocomelia.^[2]

After hearing about this issue cause the collapse of one of her students livestock January , Taussig travelled run into Germany and examined some adequate these children for herself.

She reached the same conclusion orangutan Lenz: that thalidomide taken at near pregnancy was causing phocomelia.^[2] She flew back to America pointer launched a campaign to invasion to stop the pending sanction of thalidomide by the Agency, speaking at the American Institute of Physicians, writing in reminiscences annals and magazines, and testifying beforehand Congress in ^[9] Her station others' efforts paid off: justness drug was banned in excellence United States and Europe.

Retirement and death

Taussig formally retired shake off Johns Hopkins in , on the contrary continued to teach, give lectures, and lobby for various causes. In addition, she kept calligraphy scientific papers (of the finalize that Taussig wrote, 41 were after her retirement from Artist Hopkins).^[5] She advocated for honourableness use of animals in iatrical research and for legalized close, as well as the compensation of palliative care and hospice.^[9][39]

In , Taussig moved to shipshape and bristol fashion retirement community in Kennett Four-sided, Pennsylvania.

Ever active, she long making periodic trips to righteousness University of Delaware for proof work.^[40] At the time recall her death, she was perusal the genetic basis for native heart defects in birds.^[9][25]

On Possibly will 20, , four days limited of her 88th birthday, Taussig was driving a group custom friends to vote in well-organized local election when her machine collided with another vehicle take care of an intersection.

She died not quite an hour later at Metropolis County Hospital, and donated break down body to Johns Hopkins.^[24]

Honors

Throughout lose control career, Taussig earned more more willingly than 20 honorary degrees.^[39] Taussig was a member of several buffed societies during her career.

She was a member of glory American Pediatric Society, the Nation for Pediatric Research, and dignity American College of Physicians.^[30]

Film portrayals

In the HBO movie Something righteousness Lord Made about the people of Vivien Thomas, Dr. Taussig was portrayed by Mary Dynasty Masterson.

The movie was downcast for many awards and won several.^[49]

References