Something the Lord Made Page #6

Can't separate the past from the future...

any more than you can

your right arm from your left arm.

But, you see, they are separated...

by this, by the heart.

Or connected.

Or connected.

Nolitangere.:
Do not touch.

Do not touch the heart.

We are gonna challenge

this ancient doctrinal myth...

in this hospital. Who wants to attend?

Dr. Swedlin?

Dr. Philmore?

Dr. Cooley.

And Dr. Longmire.

Thank you.

You're dangling your reputation off a cliff.

Calm down, Walter, this isn't grand opera.

lsn't a doctor's first tenet: ''Do no harm''?

What are you saying?

Postpone the operation

until you have more experience.

Postponing means

signing that baby's death warrant.

-l will not be the one to do that.

-But they'll ruin you.

Walter, l'm operating tomorrow.

You're rushing this...

because you don't want to admit

to those parents...

that you spoke too soon.

You should come to bed.

l tried that.

Can l give you a ride

to the hospital tomorrow?

Thanks.

l could use the lift.

l don't trust myself behind the wheel.

Al, anybody would be nervous.

lt's not that.

l was just thinking

about a remark you made.

You said l used to be wild...

not just ambitious.

But l wonder if my ambition

hasn't driven me wild.

Dr. Taussig, Professor.

l just wanted to wish good luck to everyone.

Thank you, Vivien.

Thanks, Vivien.

We're going to block

that baby's pulmonary artery for 30 minutes.

As long as her blood pressure doesn't go

below 60, l think she should be fine.

l don't think

she can survive much lower than that.

-lsn't that right, Dr. Harmel?

-Not below 60. That's right, Doctor.

Dr. Blalock, they're ready.

Doctor.

Coming in now.

Dr. Longmire.

What is going on?

They won't page him.

-Why not?

-Something about hospital policy.

Page Vivien Thomas immediately.

Dr. Blalock, what's wrong?

What's happened?

lt's all right.

l won't tell you again. Page him.

-We're only allowed to page doctors.

-Give me that, goddamn you.

Vivien Thomas, paging Vivien Thomas.

You're wanted in OR right now.

Come on the run, do you hear?

This is Blalock.

-Thank you.

-Good luck.

Jesus.

About time. Scrub up.

-Scrub up?

-You're coming in with me.

Would you find Mr. Thomas

something to stand on?

What for, Doctor?

You're talking me through this.

Now scrub up.

What's he doing here?

-What the hell is that?

-l'll see about this.

Should we say a prayer?

Forget it. He won't listen to me.

Dr. Blalock, a word.

-You can resume your duties.

-These are his duties.

-Can you see now?

-Yes, Doctor.

Okay, l think we're ready to start.

Okay, we're going in.

lt's going to be all right. lt'll be just fine.

She'll be all right.

lncising the mediastinum pleura...

from the main left pulmonary artery.

To the apex of the pleural space.

l'm dissecting the pulmonary artery.

Well back into the mediastinum.

This all right, Vivien?

That looks fine.

The right angle clamp.

Okay, l think it's holding.

Are you able to deliver

to the left subclavian artery?

l believe so. Blood pressure?

70, falling.

Do not move that light.

And now...

-l'm dividing the--

-Careful.

-Clamp it.

-l can't reach it, Doctor.

l got it. Hemorrhage controlled.

Can you see, Doctor?

Not really. Nurse.

For goodness sake,

can't you even see my ears?

Sorry, Doctor.

Suture.

-Blood pressure is 68.

-Yes, go on.

Watch the carotid.

Yes, traction on the suture.

Okay, now the clamp Vivien made.

-What clamp?

-The one just there.

Right there, yes.

We're about to connect the shunt.

Blood pressure is 60.

No, 59.

l know, l'm almost there.

Now front, interrupted.

That's good, Doctor. Just a little more now.

Removing the bulldog clamp.

-l see some bleeding right--

-l know, l see it, too. Suture.

-No, Doctor, the other way.

-Yes.

Good, you got it now.

Bleeding controlled.

l'm palpating the connection.

What do you feel?

l can't tell

if blood is flowing through the shunt.

lt's just too small to feel anything.

Dr. Blalock, you have to see this.

My God.

Her blood pressure is rising.

Evacuate the blood in the chest cavity.

Put in the chest tube.

Are we inflating the left lung with oxygen?

Ready for closure.

Who would have thought it possible?

Heart surgery.

And we did it right here in Johns Hopkins.

-Thank you, Dr. Blalock.

-Thank you so much.

l knew you could do it.

-Some operation.

-Amazing.

That child's chances were so slim.

Took a hell of a surgeon to pull her through.

He was lucky

to have that n*gger in there with him.

Thomas sure saved his ass.

l'd like to see him try it without him.

You did well in there, Vivien.

Thank you.

You performed an excellent surgery, Doctor.

Yes.

l think l did.

Please, l understand. This is a hospital.

Can you please keep your voices down?

l can understand how you all must feel...

but we have been overwhelmed

with children from all across the country...

and then there's just one doctor

to perform these operations.

So if you could just go

to the administration office...

they'll accommodate all of you

into Dr. Blalock's schedule...

as soon as possible.

All right? l'm terribly sorry.

Making the first incision.

-Are you there, Vivien?

-Yes, l'm here.

Thank you for the opportunity to observe,

Dr. Blalock.

-lt's an honor, Doctor.

-Again, excellent work, gentlemen.

Thank you, Helen.

May l introduce my colleagues...

Dr. Helen Taussig, Vivien Thomas.

This is Dr. Craford, from Stockholm...

-and Dr. Petrovsky from Leningrad.

-Honored to meet you.

You have given surgeons around the world

great courage with your deeds.

Coming from such an eminent surgeon

as yourself, that is a compliment, indeed.

lt's been a great pleasure to meet you,

Dr. Taussig.

-Thank you.

-Dr. Thomas.

Call me Mr. Thomas, or Vivien.

You're not a doctor?

No, l just work here with Dr. Blalock.

Can we please have

all the doctors who participated...

in the ''blue baby'' operation in this shot?

There's a young woman who hitchhiked

from Appalachia with her son.

And l think his blood levels

may be low enough to test.

Talk to Dr. Taussig about scheduling him in.

lf you'd all turn and face the center, please,

like Dr. Longmire.

-Helen.

-Very good.

Thank you,

now focus your attention here, please.

Smile, focus here. Hold that.

Good. Now if we could have

one of you alone, Dr. Blalock.

Very good, sir. Focus here, if you would.

Here we go, Doctor.

Thank you very much.

They're nice pictures, aren't they?

They always have nice pictures.

Just 'cause you're not in the news

doesn't mean you weren't there, Viv.

l'll be back.

A man who is a real pioneer...

a gambler who takes all the right risks...

who's rescued untold lives

with his work in shock...

and has gone on to challenge

the entire medical establishment...

to reconsider an age-old taboo...

in performing the world's first heart surgery.

Now, without embarrassing myself,

I'd like to introduce...

a man who has undeniably

brought a dash of pink...

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