A Time for All Things: The Life of Michael E. DeBakey

by Craig A. Miller

Overview

He has been called the greatest surgeon of the 20th century. The son of Lebanese immigrants, Michael DeBakey rose from humble beginnings in a backwater Louisiana town to dominate the landscape of modern medicine. His contributions to our understanding and treatment of cardiovascular disease, in particular, were innumerable and epoch-making. DeBakey led a life of high drama, from the streets of Jazz Age New Orleans and the operating theaters of pre-war Europe, to the battlefields of World War II and the floodwaters of Hurricane Katrina. An advisor to Presidents, a health care statesman, and a physician to royalty and commoner alike, he helped build Houston's Texas Medical Center into a jewel of the medical world. Yet DeBakey's own family paid a tremendous cost for his commitment to his fellow man. Buoyed by unique access to primary resources, A Time for All Things: The Life of Michael E. DeBakey is the first to tell the remarkable story of a driven genius who led a scientific and therapeutic revolution in all its dramatic depth.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780190073947
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	12/09/2019
Pages:	640
Product dimensions:	6.30(w) x 9.30(h) x 1.90(d)

About the Author

Craig A. Miller, MD, is an author and vascular surgeon who lives in Columbus, Ohio. His books have been published in several languages and editions. He has been a Scholar-in-Residence at the Ohio State University Medical Heritage Center and a Michael E. DeBakey Fellow in the History of Medicine at the National Institutes of Health.

Table of Contents

1. Lake Charles: 1908-1926
2. Tulane University 1926-35
3. Strasbourg, Heidelberg and New Orleans 1935-1942
4. Washington, D.C. and New Orleans 1942-48
5. Houston 1948-1951
6. Houston 1951-1956
7. Houston 1956-1960
8. Houston 1960-1969
9. Houston 1969 The Artificial Heart
10. Houston 1970-1989
11. Houston 1990-2008
12. Epilogue

Editorial Reviews

"Craig Miller, himself a distinguished vascular surgeon and medical historian, has written a superb scholarly and readable biography on arguably one of the most famous cardiac surgeons of the twentieth century. The book has been extensively researched. [...] The text is extensively referenced with footnotes and photographs and includes an extensive index." — Arpan K. Banerjee, MBBS (LOND), FRCP, FRCR, FBIR, Hektoen International

"I believe this book is a must read for those in our field and it will be my gift to the fellows and residents I work with. It's a tremendous, real-life example of a man who faced great difficulties, overcame them, and reached the pinnacle of his profession by solving problems in a rational manner." — Hazim J. Safi, MD, Department of Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgery, McGovern Medical School at The University of Texas, Journal of Vascular Surgery

"A 600-page book on a single clinician may seem over-indulgent but comes across in this case as completely justified. It is hard to believe a more comprehensive biography will be written about this most colourful of careers, and I would recommend A Time for All Things to anyone with even a vague interest in the history of surgery." — Dr Will Parker, British Society for the History of Medicine

"Surgeons, aspiring surgeons, cardiac anesthesiologists, cardiologists, and innovators from all fields interested in the very foundations of cardiac surgery and its pioneers should buy and read this book." — Maks Mihalj, Anesthesia and Analgesia

"This beautifully written biography of Mr. DeBakey - who is often called the greatest vascular surgeon of the 20th century - should convince skeptical students that a career in science can help people." — Student Research Foundation

"This is the story of the mind of a man for mankind, with a prestigious work ethic that matched his ambition ... Throughout the book, from his birth to his insouciant self-diagnosis of his own demise, he is the force majeure of this odyssey." — Jim Young, Glycosmedia

"Miller describes DeBakey's triumphs, surgical firsts, medical research and the fruits of his health care statesmanship. More important, he comes closest to defining what drove the man who literally worked day and night to fulfill all the roles he assumed in his nearly 100-year life ... Miller has achieved a milestone with this book." — Ruth SoRelle, Houston Chronicle

"Amazingly detailed and powerful. A very important medical, historical, and ethical document from which there are enduring, important lessons to be learned." — Renee C. Fox, PhD, Professor Emerita, Sociology, Annenberg Professor Emerita of the Social Sciences, University of Pennsylvania

"Spanning decades of an amazing life, the stories of DeBakey's dedication to altruistic patient care, academic excellence, and dedicated service to both the profession and our nation will inspire physicians, policymakers, and patients alike." — Claire Pomeroy, MD, MBA, President, Albert and Mary Lasker Foundation, New York

"A Time for All Things is a superb telling of Michael E DeBakey's amazingly long, dashing career - in surgery, in education, and deeply in national public policy." — Donald Lindberg, MD, Director Emeritus, National Library of Medicine, Bethesda, MD

"A Time for All Things gives a thorough insight into the academic career of one of the most influential professors in American medicine and politics." — Bertil Hamberger, Professor Emeritus, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden

"Craig Miller has superbly chronicled a life of accomplishments, honors, and surgical achievements. Miller's efforts in archiving the facts of DeBakey's storied career will be a treasure for both the surgeon and the lay reader." — Charles H. McCollum, MD, Professor of Surgery, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston

"This inspirational biography reads like a historical medical novel, and is essential for surgeons, aspiring surgeons, and innovators from all walks of life." — E. Christopher Ellison, MD, FACS, Academy Professor, Robert M. Zollinger Professor Emeritus, Department of Surgery, The Ohio State University, Columbus

"This book is a very readable account of DeBakey's influence and participation in the evolving science of cardiovascular surgery over seven decades, as well as his influence on the societal and political milieu of the time - enhanced by facts and events little known to even his closest colleagues." — William L. Winters, Jr., MD, MACC, MACP, Emeritus Professor of Cardiology, Institute for Academic Medicine, Full Emeritus Member, Department of Cardiology, Houston Methodist Research Institute, Houston

"This fascinating portrayal tells about DeBakey's life journey beginning as the son of Lebanese immigrant parents to becoming a global household name synonymous with modern day high tech medicine, an advocate of universal access to health care, and doctor to the rich and famous." — Matthias Loebe, MD, PhD, Director of Thoracic Transplantation, University of Miami

"This biography is an important historical work of scholarship. It chronicles DeBakey's remarkable life and surgical contributions and is also a history of the pioneering days of heart surgery." — Arpan Banerjee , Hektoen International Journal

From the Publisher