Though Best did not receive a share of the Nobel
Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1923 awarded
to Banting and another collaborator, John
Macleod, Banting protested and shared his portion
of the award money with Best. Best pursued a
career in medical research that resulted in numer-
ous other honors including induction into the
Canadian Medical Hall of Fame.
Blackwell, Elizabeth (1821–1910) First
woman to earn a medical degree from an Ameri-
can medical school. Blackwell was born in Eng-
land and came with her family to the United
States in 1832. She graduated with a doctor of
medicine degree from Geneva Medical College in
New York in 1849. Though she wanted to become
a surgeon, an infection that cost her the vision in
one eye forced her to change direction to special-
ize in obstetrics and gynecology. Blackwell
founded the New York Infirmary for Women and
Children in 1857 and 10 years later opened an
affiliated medical school for women. During her
career Blackwell wrote several influential medical
texts about women’s health and diseases.
Blalock, Alfred(1899–1964) American heart
surgeon who pioneered numerous techniques,
devices, and instruments to repair congenital
heart defects. Blalock’s interest in the heart came
about as a result of his research to investigate and
find treatments for cardiovascular shock. Blalock
and his assistant, Vivien Thomas, subsequently
turned their interest and methods to create surgi-
cal repairs for otherwise fatal “blue baby” heart
defects, notably tetralogy of Fallot. Blalock per-
formed the first successful such operation in 1944
on a patient of pediatrician Helen Taussig.
Blalock’s collaborations with other researchers
resulted in operations for coarctation of the aorta
and transposition of the great arteries, two other
severe congenital heart defects.
Broca, Pierre Paul(1824–1880) French surgi-
cal pathologist and medical researcher best known
for his study of brain anatomy and physiology.
Broca identified the region of the brain’s frontal
lobe that controls speech, now known as Broca’s
area. Broca also studied correlations between
brain structure and intelligence, developing
numerous methods for measuring the convolu-
tions and size of human and other primate brains,
and was a prolific writer.
Chain, Ernst (1906–1979) German-born bio-
chemist who shared the Nobel Prize in Physiology
or Medicine in 1945 with Alexander Fleming and
Howard Florey. The award honored the work of
the three in the discovery and uses of penicillin.
Chain developed methods to analyze natural anti-
bacterial substances and discovered the process by
which penicillin killed bacteria.
Charcot, Jean Martin(1825–1893) French
physician who identified multiple sclerosis.
Cooley, Denton (b. 1920) American cardio-
vascular surgeon renowned for his skill and inno-
vation in operations on the heart. As an intern
Cooley assisted pediatric heart surgeon Alfred
Blalock in the first operation to correct a congeni-
tal heart malformation (“blue baby” syndrome).
Cooley spent much of his surgical career perfect-
ing techniques that would extend the ability to
surgically repair such defects. He was one of the
first American cardiovascular surgeons to perform
a human heart transplantation (in 1968) and to
implant an artificial heart as a bridge to transplan-
tation (in 1969). Cooley also pioneered and per-
fected coronary artery bypass graft (CABG).
Crick, Francis(1916–2004) British scientist
who co-discovered, with American zoologist
James Watson, the structure of DNA in 1953.
Crick and Watson, along with biophysicist Mau-
rice Wilkins, received the Nobel Prize in Physiol-
ogy or Medicine in 1962 for the discovery. Crick
devoted the remainder of his research career to
studies of protein synthesis and genetic code.
de Graaf, Regnier (1641–1673) Dutch
anatomist who published the first detailed studies
of the male and female reproductive systems. The
egg-bearing follicles on the ovaries, which de
Graaf identified and described, are called Graafian
follicles.
de Luzzi, Mondinus (1275–1326) Italian
anatomist whose book Anathomia, published in
1316, was the first detailed textbook of anatomy
of what medical historians consider modern West-
ern medicine. Though heavily framed within the
teachings of Galen, Anathomiapresented de Luzzi’s
observations from the numerous autopsies he per-
formed as a professor at Bologna.
DeVries, William (b. 1943) American heart
surgeon best known for implanting the first artifi-
cial heart into retired dentist Barney Clark inBiographies of Notable Personalities 411