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Christiaan Neethling Barnard: Pioneer in Cardiothoracic Surgery

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Christiaan Barnard as a young child never imagined that one day he would be known as the greatest pioneer of Cardiothoracic Surgery of all time. The advances of Cardiothoracic Surgery surpassed anything that he could ever imagine. It was far more than anyone could imagine. Human heart transplants had never been performed. No one even knew what Artificial Heart valves meant or how they could extend lives. They would not just extend lives but it gave a better quality of life to those who suffered with what we now call heart disease. Many believed that it could be done. Many believed that it should be done. Barnard was brave enough to try and talented enough to succeed. Barnard was born in 1922 in Befaufort West, South Africa. His …show more content…

This opened the door for physicians all over the world to perform heart transplants. Every transplant transformed the difficult task into an everyday procedure. Barnard performed the first twin heart transplant in 1974. (gale) Barnard, was sometimes considered to be boastful, He did not think that the heart transplant was “A big thing”. His philosophy was “The biggest risk in life was to not take a risk”. (The Famous People.com)What risk is bigger than holding a human hart in your hand? Barnard risked his career each time he performed a transplant. He shared his research and surgical procedures to educate the world an improve quality of life. If some considered this boastful they failed to realize the true “risk.” Barnard proved he lived by his “risk” philosophy in his career and his personal life. Barnard was married and divorced three times throughout his life. I think most would agree marring three times is quite a risk. He had three children one with each wife. Like his own parents, he had three sons. Many believe that he was self-absorbed and self serving. I think self less is the better description. Courage is described as being afraid, not knowing the result, but still performing the task. Courage is the word that I would use to describe Barnard. He took chances and performed surgical feats that most people felt were impossible. Barnard performed

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