Helen Taussig is known as the father of pediatric cardiology for her innovative work with "blue babies". The surgery she proposed along with Alfred Blalock, saved thousands of lives and was a key advance in open heart surgery. She later prevented hundreds of birth defects by blocking the introduction of the teratogenic drug Thalidimide into this country.
Dr. Helen Taussig overcame numerous hurdles in her life. Though medical school was denied, she was allowed to take anatomy classes at Boston University. This paved the way for an M.D. degree at Johns Hopkins. Dyslexia was a problem in her early years and a loss of hearing an obstacle in later life.
She has become one of the paragon and legendary figures at the illustrious Johns Hopkins Hospital.
I was surprised Dr. Taussig has not been honored with a United States postage stamp and thought it a good idea to correct this glaring omission. Dr. Taussig should be a sterling example to anyone who is determined to fight handicaps. Besides the difficulty women had in enterring the most prestigious medical schools ( Harvard was denied until 1945), she powered on. She also overcame dyslexia, and later severe hearing loss.
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