In the 1940's, children who were born with heart defects were known as "blue babies" because they were oxygen deprived and so their skin took on a blue color. Nobody at that time even knew what the root cause of the problem was until Dr. Helen Taussig spent a lot of time researching the problem and realized it was due to heart problems. Dr. Alfred Blalock was the chief surgeon and a famous researcher whom Dr. Taussig tasked with figuring out a solution to the heart "plumbing problem." The most interesting of the three subjects of the book is Vivien Thomas, and African American lab assistant who had intended to become a doctor before his savings disappeared in a bank failure during the great depression. Mr. Thomas was the head lab technician and invaluable assistant to Dr. Blalock. They worked closely on their other research topic, treating shock. Thomas was a brilliant surgeon who effectively tested solutions on animal subjects. When it came time to operate on the first human patient, Dr. Blalock had Thomas stand on a stool behind him so he could instruct. This book does an excellent job of telling the story of this significant medical breakthrough...at the time, no one thought it was even possible to operate on a heart. The book also tells the personal story of each of these extraordinary individuals who came together and worked to save thousands of lives each year.
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