Yocum African American History Association

#VivienThomas, one of the most excellent surgical teachers, never went to college. Vivien Thomas was a carpenter and a high school graduate in 1929 who saved his money for medical school. He lost his money in a bank failure during the 1929 Stock Market crash. He was hired to work with the difficult Dr. Alfred Blalock as his lab assistant. We recommend the movie Something the Lord Made, about this Black surgical pioneer who developed the “Blue Baby Surgery” that later saved the life of a great friend of mine with a cyanotic congenital heart defect. Vivien Thomas was a genius with stunning agility and keen intellect. In 1976, Thomas received an honorary doctorate from #JohnsHopkins. You can view this made-for HBO film about this Black surgical teacher of renowned importance at