Alfred Blalock
Developed the Blalock-Taussig shunt with Helen Taussig and Vivien Thomas, a groundbreaking surgery for congenital heart defects.
Most quoted
"The surgeon who carries out an operation with the blood pressure falling, the pulse rising, and the patient getting into worse and worse condition, and who thinks that some miracle will happen to carry him through, is fooling himself."
— from Surgical Principles
"The development of the Blalock-Taussig shunt was a testament to the power of collaboration between a surgeon and a cardiologist, and the importance of taking calculated risks for the benefit of patients."
— from Reflecting on his work
"The only thing that stands between a man and what he wants in life is often merely the will to try it and the faith to believe that it is possible."
— from Anecdotal
All quotes by Alfred Blalock (383)
I've never seen a patient die from too much information.
The only constant in medicine is change.
Don't be afraid to make mistakes. Be afraid of not learning from them.
A surgeon's hands are his most valuable instruments, but his brain is his most important.
The more I learn, the more I realize how much I don't know.
Success in surgery is often a matter of knowing when to stop.
If you're not making mistakes, you're not trying hard enough.
The only thing that stands between a man and what he wants in life is often merely the will to try it and the faith to believe that it is possible.
The greatest discovery of my generation is that a human being can alter his life by altering his attitudes.
I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work.
The difference between a good surgeon and a great surgeon is that the great surgeon knows when not to operate.
Don't tell me how good you are, show me.
The operating room is a place where you learn humility very quickly.
The most important thing in medicine is to never stop learning.
If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.
The patient doesn't care how much you know until they know how much you care.
The greatest wealth is health.
I'm not a genius, I'm just passionately curious.
It is better to light a candle than curse the darkness.
If you want to make enemies, try to change something.
Contemporaries of Alfred Blalock
Other Medicines born within 50 years of Alfred Blalock (1899–1964).