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Collection ThoVT : Vivien T. Thomas Collection

Description

Key

104003

Reference Code Element

ThoVT

Dates

1930-1986, inclusive

Extent

15 cubic feet (31 boxes)

Creator

Personal name, Thomas, Vivien T., 1910-1985.

Administrative/Biographical History

Vivien T.Thomas
29 Aug 1910-26 Nov 1985
Vivien T. Thomas was born in Lake Providence, Louisiana on August 29, 1910. His family later moved to Nashville, Tennessee, where he was educated in the public schools. In 1929, after working as an orderly in a private infirmary to raise money for college, he enrolled as a premedical student at Tennessee Agricultural and Industrial College. The bank crash that year wiped out his life's savings, forcing him to drop out of school. In 1930, he took a position at Vanderbilt University as a laboratory assistant with Alfred Blalock. Thomas' abilities as a surgical assistant and research associate were of the highest quality, and when Blalock moved to Johns Hopkins in 1941 he asked Thomas to accompany him. Thomas joined Blalock's surgical team and helped to develop the procedure used in the "blue baby" operation. He helped train many of the surgeons at Johns Hopkins in the delicate techniques necessary for heart and lung operations. Thomas was a member of the medical school faculty from 1976 until 1985 and was presented with the degree of Honorary Doctor of Laws by the Johns Hopkins University in 1976.

Chronology

Johns Hopkins Hospital, 1941-1979

Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, 1976-1985

Scope and Content

The Vivien T. Thomas Collection spans his entire career at Vanderbilt and Johns Hopkins. Constituting the bulk of the collection is the manuscript and its various drafts for the memoir which was eventually published by The University of Pennsylvania Press, titled Pioneering Research in Surgical Shock and Cardiovascular Surgery: Vivien Thomas and His Work with Alfred Blalock (1985), later republished as Partners of the Heart: Vivien Thomas and his work with Alfred Blalock (1998). Also included is a large volume of correspondence between Thomas and numerous Hopkins medical staff, predominantly on professional topics. The most prolific correspondent is Mark Ravitch, a doctor who became Thomas’ mentor and editor during his writing of the memoir. Additionally, the collection includes material related to the experimental animal surgery of Vanderbilt and Johns Hopkins, reprints of seminal medical articles, biographical material and ephemera Thomas collected over his lifetime related to the hospital and cardiac surgery.

Additional Information about the Collection
A Web-based exhibit on the "blue baby" operation contains further information about the development of the procedure and Thomas' role.

Language

English

Administration

Date(s) of Descriptions

2015

Processing Information

The Vivien T. Thomas Collection was processed under the direction of Phoebe Evans Letocha. In 2006, Chesney Medical Archives student assistants Amelia Martin and Chris Hamel created a preliminary inventory. In 2015, graduate student assistant Connie Scozzaro processed the collection with data entry assistance from Daniel Friedman. Katherine Smoak reviewed the correspondence for confidential information, including protected health information.

Accession

2006-070

2006-065

1989-039

1989-015

1986-003

Custodial History

Material came from a variety of sources. The bulk of the material came from the Thomas family in 2006. Additional copies of manuscript drafts came from Mark Ravitch in 1986.

Composed Of

Found 8 record(s)

Reference Code and Titlesort by Reference Code and Title ascending	Key (Collection)sort by Key (Collection) ascending	Dates	Record Levelsort by Record Level ascending	Hierarchysort by Hierarchy ascending
1- Correspondence	231679		Series	CollectionThoVT- Vivien T. Thomas Collection
2- Vivien Thomas Autobiography	231680		Series	CollectionThoVT- Vivien T. Thomas Collection
3- Personal and Biographical Materials	231681		Series	CollectionThoVT- Vivien T. Thomas Collection
4- Writings and Speeches	231682		Series	CollectionThoVT- Vivien T. Thomas Collection
5- Subject Files	231683		Series	CollectionThoVT- Vivien T. Thomas Collection
6- Research and Laboratory Materials	231684		Series	CollectionThoVT- Vivien T. Thomas Collection
7- Visual Materials and sound recordings	231685	1925-1982	Series	CollectionThoVT- Vivien T. Thomas Collection
8- Material Culture related to Vivien Thomas	231686		Series	CollectionThoVT- Vivien T. Thomas Collection

Related Artifacts

Found 79 record(s)

Available Actions	Artifact Numbersort by Artifact Number ascending	Titlesort by Title ascending
	34A	Prototype Subclavian Artery Clamp
	35A	Subclavian Artery / Blalock Aorta Clamp (Small)
	36A	Surgical Needles
	1053A	Payr Pylorus Clamp
	1054A	Biopsy Forceps with Alligator Jaw
	1055A	Ross Aortic Valve Retractor
	1056A	Tonsil Seizing Forceps
	1057A	Dissecting Scissors
	1058A	Sponge Holding Forceps
	1059A	Curved Kocher forceps
	1060A	Kelly-Murphy Haemostat Forceps
	1061A	Love-Gruenwald Alligator Forceps
	1062A	Tissue Forceps
	1063A	Auvard's Speculum (Vaginal)
	1064A	Doyen rib raspatory and elevator
	1065A	Payr Pylorus Clamp
	1066A	Payr Pylorus Clamp
	1067A	Deaver Retractor
	1068A	Suction Tube
	1069A	Payr Pylorus Clamp
	1070A	Payr Pylorus Clamp
	1071A	Payr Pylorus Clamp
	1072A	Payr Pylorus Clamp
	1073A	Payr Pylorus Clamp
	1074A	Payr Pylorus Clamp

Electronic Resources - when selected, electronic resources and additional information will load at the bottom of the grid.

Found 1 record(s)

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