Alfred Blalock, Helen Taussig, and Vivien Thomas

Trailblazers in Science and Technology is a 10-volume set that profiles the lives and achievements of scientists whose work has had a major impact on a particular field. The scientist's accomplishments are discussed, including the "trailblazing" principles and personal struggles that complemented his or her work. Employing an array of primary sources-diaries, memoirs, letters, and contemporary news accounts-as well as secondary sources, the set depicts the human drama of scientific work, the challenge of research, and the exhilaration and rewards of discovery. Alfred Blalock, Helen Taussig, and Vivien Thomas recounts the lives and careers of three medical pioneers-a white male surgeon (Blalock), a white female cardiologist (Taussig), and an African-American male laboratory technician (Thomas)-who combined their skills in 1944 to create a groundbreaking operation that not only saved the lives and health of thousands of children born with heart defects but also made surgeons realize for the first time that surgery on living hearts was possible. In addition to describing this operation and the other accomplishments of these individuals, the book highlights the social and personal conflicts that shaped and sometimes hindered their work and that of other scientists during that era. Alfred Blalock, Helen Taussig, and Vivien Thomas includes more than 30 color photographs and four-color line illustrations, a chronology, a glossary, a list of print and Internet resources, and an index. Trailblazers in Science and Technology is an essential set for students, teachers, and general readers that provides a factual look at the lives and accomplishments of prominent scientists. Book jacket.