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The Doctor is a Life Saver

A Doctor at Heart: The Story of Groundbreaking Scientist and Teacher Vivien Thomas by Joan Schoettler and Steffi Walthall

August 10, 2026 by BlackRaven Leave a Comment

This man grew up in a family that demanded perfection, he would grow up to graduate with honors, he would lose all his money in the stock market crash, and he would go on to be the man who helped find a cure for blue baby syndrome. He was Vivien Thomas. Oddly enough, though they mention the pay discrepancies, there is not a lot about the racism Thomas would have faced.  And though there is the story of how he got his “girls name,” I […]

Filed Under: Biography/Memoir, Children's Books, Health, History, Non-Fiction Tagged With: African American surgeons, Baltimore, Cardiovascular system, Health & Daily Living, Illness, Joan Schoettler, Joan Schoettler and Steffi Walthall, Maryland, science, Steffi Walthall, surgeons, surgery, technology, Vivien Thomas

BlackRaven's CBR18 Review No:222 · Genres: Biography/Memoir, Children's Books, Health, History, Non-Fiction · Tags: African American surgeons, Baltimore, Cardiovascular system, Health & Daily Living, Illness, Joan Schoettler, Joan Schoettler and Steffi Walthall, Maryland, science, Steffi Walthall, surgeons, surgery, technology, Vivien Thomas ·
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