1902-1997

American surgeon who performed the first successful open-heart surgery using a heart-lung machine he helped to invent. Dodrill's work helped pave the way for virtually all heart surgery, including coronary bypass operations, heart valve replacement, and heart transplants. The heart-lung machine both pumps blood through the body and oxygenates it, allowing both heart and lungs to be stopped. His machine, developed in conjunction with General Motors, is on display at the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, D.C.