Historical Profile: Vivien Thomas


Vivien Theodore Thomas (1910 – 1985) was born in New Iberia, Louisiana.  Despite only having a high school education, Thomas achieved several accomplishments in the medical field.  Thomas was a surgical technician who developed medical procedures used to treat blue baby syndrome during the 1940s.  Thomas’ pioneering research was used to devise numerous surgical techniques for heart conditions.


Thomas worked at Johns Hopkins University for 35 years as the assistant to surgeon Alfred Blalock.  In 1976, Thomas was awarded with an honorary doctorate from Johns Hopkins and named an instructor of surgery for the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. 


What makes Thomas’ life story so unique is that he was the grandson of a slave and despite enduring poverty and racism he worked with Dr. Blalock to create groundbreaking research for complex surgical procedures.  For example, Thomas’ research on crush syndrome helped save thousands of soldiers lives during World War II.  The 2004 film Something the Lord Made documents the life of Vivien T. Thomas.

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