Cardiol Young 2009; 19:
119–128
© Cambridge University
Press
ISSN 1047-9511
doi:10.1017/S1047951109003631
Accepted for publication
7 January 2009
First published online 19
February 2009
Historical Vignette: The Blalock-Taussig shunt: the social
history of an eponym
Author
William N Evans, MD
Source
ChildrenŐs Heart Center
Nevada, 3006 S Maryland Pkwy, Ste 690, Las Vegas, NV 89109, USA.
E-mail: wnevans50@aol.com.
Abstract
Creating eponyms for
surgical procedures or medical discoveries can be a simple objective process of
attaching names of innovators. Some eponyms, however, have a controversial
history. Undertaking the first systemic-to-pulmonary arterial shunt required
the combined efforts of Helen Taussig, Vivien Thomas, and Alfred Blalock. In
this review, I attempt to look beyond the mechanics of attributing the eponym
to the larger social history surrounding the term.