Open Heart: The Radical Surgeons who Revolutionized Medicine

by David K.C. Cooper

A bold and remarkable history, “The Right Stuff” for the giants of heart surgery who performed medical feats once thought impossible

Esteemed heart transplant surgeon Dr. David K.C. Cooper has literally been on the cutting edge of medicine, having been a member of the team that performed the first successful heart transplants in the United Kingdom, and overseeing the heart transplant program at the University of Cape Town Medical School in South Africa, working under Dr. Christiaan Barnard. Open Heart tells the story behind the amazing advances in cardiovascular medicine as performed by the maverick doctors who strived to perfect them. Having interviewed many of the greatest heart surgeons in person during the past 20 years, this book benefits from the emption and excitement of these surgeons’ own words. These men affect everyday lives even more than the early astronauts, who, like these surgeons, had “the right stuff.” But who were they? What drove them to perform the feats they did? Beginning with Claudius Galen, second century A.D. physician to Emperor Marcus Aurelius, and his observations of fallen gladiators, to the major 20th century innovators, Open Heart tells the stories and highlights from the careers of the greatest heart surgeons, including Christiaan Barnard, Denton Cooley, Michael Debakey, and many others. Because of these bold and brilliant physicians, blue babies no longer die at birth, young people can live well into old age, and damaged organs can be transplanted with healthy ones.

Dr. Cooper transforms himself as well, from heart surgeon (and colleague to many of the surgeons profiled in the book) to historian/storyteller as Open Heart portrays the remarkable doctors who have saved the lives of so many others.

Genres: Science

448 pages, Hardcover

First published August 31, 2010

About the author

David K.C. Cooper, M.D., Ph.D., a pioneering xenotransplantation researcher and heart transplant surgeon.

Reviews

[Vimaris · Rating 5 out of 5]

An absorbing book about the intrepid surgeons, but imperfect men, who challenged themselves to perform cardiovascular surgery (CVS). Cooper summarizes of each of their lives, illustrates their outstanding accomplishments, but also examines the kind of person who undertakes such a daring, prominent endeavor. Cardiac surgery provided a remedy to cardiovascular disease, before that patients would die from heart defects or failure. CVS changed all this, but the doctors willing to perform the work had to be driven, defiant, bold & brilliant. CVS developed from research, hard work & daring. It also propagated & redefined the varies modern medical specialties of today. The advances made by interventional cardiology, radiology, internal & critical care medicine, cardiology & pharmacology were initiated by the work of the CV surgeons. In their lifetime, many of these men understood the repercussions of their breakthroughs & reaped enormous rewards. But these men were also human & flawed & Cooper presents a balanced report of their greatest achievements along with their lowest public & personal failures.

[Rachel]

Not my cup of tea. Glorifying a bunch of privileged white (maybe a couple aren't?) men with giant egos. I do appreciate the legacy of these men - surgery that corrects previously fatal conditions. But their arrogance, nastiness, and cutthroat competition don't deserve respect. IMO anyway.