Conversations with Laureates
In the initial meeting, the relaxed, soothing accent of southern culture woos you to the man. Somehow, the image and accomplishments of Michael DeBakey do not go with this gentle manner of speech. However, it is DeBakey, and he has all the attributes, habits and no doubt foibles that make for greatness, and greatness best describes the career of this world-renowned heart surgeon.
With the confidence of an engineer, this native son of Lake Charles, Louisiana, developed the roller pump for the heart-lung machine in 1932, four years after entering Tulane Medical School. This was merely the first of DeBakey's achievements, which also include Dacron artificial grafts for cardiac bypass surgery; the pioneering first efforts in the development of an artificial heart; and numerous instruments and procedures used in heart surgery.
Think of wounded GIs, from the Korean Police Action and the Vietnam War, who had time to father children and play with grandchildren, who became doctors, invented things, provided political leadership, and loved. So much time granted because this man DeBakey envisioned mobile surgical hospitals and M.A.S.H. units. Of course, he had no idea that he would also inspire one of our great television series, featuring the insightful Hawkeye, BJ and Radar O'Reilly.
The National Library of Medicine (NLM) is a classic example of DeBakey's ability to see "missing pieces." In 1949, he recognized that information about science and medicine needed to be accessible and timely. To fill in the missing pieces, he became the great champion of the NLM and its regional library system.
As a physician, to paraphrase Carroll, DeBakey has ministered to Kings and walked with crowds. Now in his 90s, he still is very much a finder of paths.