Thomas, Vivien Theodore (1910-1985), an African American surgical technician, made important contributions in the fields of surgery and physician training. Thomas helped develop an operation used to treat blue babies, babies born with an often fatal heart defect that causes the skin to develop a bluish tinge. He later became a respected trainer of surgeons despite lacking a medical degree.
Thomas briefly studied medicine in 1929 at the Tennessee Agriculture and Industrial College in Nashville (now part of Tennessee State University). However, he had to leave school and seek employment when his family lost their money in the Great Depression, an economic slump that began in the late 1920’s. In 1930, he took a position as a laboratory assistant for the American physician Alfred Blalock, a renowned surgeon at Vanderbilt University. Thomas worked closely with Blalock, who was impressed with his skills as a surgical assistant.
In 1941, Blalock moved to Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore and asked Thomas to accompany him. At Johns Hopkins, the American physician Helen B. Taussig approached Blalock to develop an operation to treat blue babies. Thomas assisted in this work, conducting many experiments, and made many valuable contributions that helped improve the technique. Blalock and Taussig first performed the operation in 1944. Thomas remained with Blalock at Johns Hopkins and trained many surgeons in the procedure. In 1976, Johns Hopkins appointed him to the medical school faculty in recognition of his work.
Thomas was born in New Iberia, Louisiana (near Lafayette), on Aug. 29, 1910. His family later moved to Nashville. He died on Nov. 26, 1985.
See also Blue baby ; Taussig, Helen Brooke .
