Overview

In 1944 a small, frail child was wheeled into the operating room at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore. As the doctors prepared for surgery, the team in the operating room looked at the cyanotic (blue) 15-month-old girl, who hovered close to death. The operation she was about to undergo would be the first attempt to treat her congenital heart condition, which was called the tetralogy of Fallot or blue baby syndrome. The team consisted of surgeon Alfred Blalock (1899-1964), pediatric cardiologist Helen B. Taussig (1898-1986), and surgical technician Vivien T. Thomas (1910-1985).

The groundbreaking surgery took place on November 29, 1944. The operation joined an artery leading from the heart to an artery leading to the lungs, giving the sick child a vital oxygen supply and taking the necessary first step toward a complete surgical cure. The success of this...