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 never dreamed about success. I worked for it.
The mind is not a vessel to be filled, but a fire to be kindled.
The only limit to our realization of tomorrow will be our doubts of today.
It always seems impossible until it's done.
If you are not willing to risk the unusual, you will have to settle for the ordinary.
I am not a product of my circumstances. I am a product of my decisions.
The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.
The heart is a lonely hunter that hunts on a lonely hill.
We are all just trying to mend broken things, whether they are hearts or bodies.
Life is a constant struggle against entropy, a fight to maintain order in a chaotic universe.
The greatest beauty lies in the intricate workings of the human body, a testament to nature's artistry.
To truly understand life, one must confront the inevitability of death.
Consciousness is the universe's way of observing itself.
The meaning of life is not given, but created through our actions and our love.
Truth is often found at the edge of what we know, in the uncharted territories of discovery.
The human condition is one of both immense fragility and incredible resilience.
Every heartbeat is a testament to the miracle of existence.
In the face of suffering, compassion is our most profound response.
The pursuit of knowledge is a spiritual journey, a quest for understanding the divine design.
Death is not an end, but a transformation, a return to the cosmic dust from which we came.
Contemporaries of Alfred Blalock
Other Medicines born within 50 years of Alfred Blalock (1899–1964).