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)
There is no substitute for technical excellence.
A surgeon must have the heart of a lion and the hands of a lady.
The patient is the center of the universe. Everything we do revolves around that.
Research is not just for the laboratory man. It is for every physician who has a question.
You learn more from your failures than from your successes.
The Blue Baby operation was not a sudden discovery. It was a logical outcome of twenty years of work.
A good surgeon must know not only how to operate, but more importantly, when to operate.
The greatest reward for a surgeon is to see a patient get well.
Never be afraid to ask for help. No man knows everything.
The art of surgery is not just in the operating room; it is in the thinking that precedes it.
Perseverance is the key to research. You must be willing to follow a trail, even when it seems dark.
I have been very fortunate in my associates. No man achieves anything alone.
The shock problem is the most important unsolved problem in surgery.
Technical skill must be built on a foundation of sound physiological knowledge.
A surgeon must be an eternal student.
The courage of the patient is often the deciding factor.
We stand on the shoulders of those who came before us.
In surgery, as in life, timing is everything.
The human body has an amazing capacity to heal, if given a chance.
Preoperative care is as important as the operation itself.
Contemporaries of Alfred Blalock
Other Medicines born within 50 years of Alfred Blalock (1899–1964).