A Heartfelt Journey of Discoveries: 'Little Hearts', Genes and Faces
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Date
2023-02-01
Authors
Ekure, E.N.
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
University of Lagos Press and Bookshop Limited
Abstract
What is Paediatric Cardiology? . .
My discipline, Paediatric Cardiology, is a field of Medicine that studies disorders of the heart and some parts of the Circulatory system in children, hence "Little hearts". It developed as a
discipline from early descriptive studies of congenital heart defects. It is a specialty built on the ground-breaking work of two determined women, Maude Abbott, MD, and Helen B.
Taussig, MD, FACC. Maude Abbott went through hundreds. of pathology specimens to completely define what congenital heart disease was. This knowledge of pathology from the Atlas of Congenital Heart Disease written by Abbot enabled Helen Taussig to figure out what she thouqht needed to be done for "blue babies" (babies with cyanosis because of heart
malformation that prevents the baby's blood from being. fully oxygenated). In the mid-1940s, Helen collabor~t.ed w~t~ a surgeon, Alfred Blalock, MD, and a surgical techniCian, Vlvl~n
Thomas to develop the Blalock-Thomas-Taussig shunt which improved pulmonary blood f10~ in "blue" babies with Tetra~o~y of Fallot allowing them to survive. Therefore, Helen Tausslq IS
fondly described as the "Mother of Paediatric Cardiology". As a result, paediatric cardiologists are doctors who diagnose, treat, and prevent heart problems in children and adolescents.
Description
Inaugural lecture
Keywords
Citation
Ekure, E.N. (2023). A Heartfelt Journey of Discoveries: 'Little Hearts', Genes and Faces. An inaugural lecture delivered at the University of Lagos, 90p.