Our Views: A pioneer passes away
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The death of Dr. Michael DeBakey at 99 is an occasion to remember some remarkable contributions to medicine by a Louisiana native who was one of the 20th century’s great scientific pioneers.
A few months ago, President Bush presented the Congressional Gold Medal to DeBakey, who was born in Lake Charles nearly a century ago.
The award, the highest civilian award that Congress can give, recognized DeBakey’s landmark achievements in cardiovascular medicine.
DeBakey invented the roller pump, an essential component of the heart-lung machine. The DeBakey Ventricular Assist Device was an apparatus implanted into the heart to increase blood flow.
DeBakey also helped develop the Mobile Army Surgical Hospital units that saved thousands of lives during the Korean and Vietnam wars.
U.S. Rep. Charles Boustany, R-Lafayette, who also has practiced as a cardiothoracic surgeon, remembered DeBakey’s influence on subsequent generations of doctors.
“Dr. DeBakey inspired and educated so many of America’s best surgeons,” Boustany said. “I am so thankful for Dr. DeBakey’s contributions to medicine.”
Although he was educated at Tulane, DeBakey lived and worked in Houston, where he made so many of his groundbreaking discoveries.
Louisiana must do more to keep its next generation of Michael DeBakeys at home. That would be a fitting tribute to the man who redefined the boundaries of medicine for generations of the world’s healers.
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