Complete Record - Heirs of Hippocrates No. 2336

HELEN BROOKE TAUSSIG (b. 1898) Congenital malformations of the heart. Commonwealth Fund 1947 xxxvi, 618 pp., illus. (part col.). 25.3 cm.

Taussig is best known for her pioneering work in pediatric cardiology and the development, with Alfred Blalock (1899-1964), of the blue-baby operation. The Blalock-Taussig operation for relieving congenital defects of the pulmonary artery resulted in life for thousands of children who would have otherwise died from cyanotic congenital heart disease. Taussig made numerous contributions to the knowledge of rheumatic heart disease, cardiac physiology, and congenital cardiac malformations. She investigated the role thalidomide played in causing birth defects in Germany and alerted the American medical community to its danger. Taussig went on to help ensure that legislation mandating the testing of drugs used during pregnancy became law. Taussig began preparing the present work in the late thirties when surgical intervention for congenital cardiac malformations had not yet been considered and rheumatic heart disease was the major problem. By the time her book was published, antibiotic therapy was available for some cardiac conditions, and new diagnostic and surgical techniques had been developed. Having incorporated these advances in her book, it quickly became the standard reference on the subject.

Cited references: Garrison-Morton 2878