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 greater privilege than to be entrusted with a human life.
Doubt is the beginning of wisdom in medicine.
A clean incision heals best. There is an art to it.
The physiology of the patient must dictate the surgery, not the other way around.
I owe much of my success to my dogs. They were my first patients.
A surgeon must have confidence, but never arrogance.
The history of surgery is written in the courage of patients who consented to new procedures.
Meticulous hemostasis is the first principle of good surgery.
The partnership between surgeon and anesthetist is a sacred trust.
You must treat the whole patient, not just the disease.
A surgeon's judgment is his most valuable tool.
There are no minor operations, only minor surgeons.
The desire to help must be stronger than the fear of failure.
Every operation is an experiment in physiology.
Listen to the patient. He is telling you the diagnosis.
The best surgeons are those who are never satisfied.
Training a surgeon takes a lifetime.
A steady hand comes from a calm mind.
Surgery is a team sport.
The greatest advances often come from applying knowledge from one field to another.
Contemporaries of Alfred Blalock
Other Medicines born within 50 years of Alfred Blalock (1899–1964).