Who Is Vivien Thomas? Age, Biography and Wiki
Vivien Thomas was born on August 29, 1910, making him 115 years old as of 2025. He became well-known for his pioneering work in the field of cardiac surgery, particularly for developing the techniques that allowed for successful surgeries in children with congenital heart defects. Despite facing racial barriers throughout his career, Thomas made significant contributions to medical science, and his legacy continues to be celebrated today.
For further detailed information on his early life, career milestones, and the impact he made in medicine, you can visit his Wikipedia page.
| Occupation | Physicians |
|---|---|
| Date of Birth | August 29, 1910 |
| Age | 114 Years |
| Birth Place | Lake Providence, Louisiana, US |
| Horoscope | Virgo |
| Country | U.S |
Popularity
Vivien Thomas's Popularity over time
Height, Weight & Measurements
Vivien Thomas was of average height and build, although specific measurements regarding his height and weight are not readily documented. His professional image is characterized by his sharp intellect and dedication to advancing medical practices rather than physical attributes.
On November 29, 1944, the procedure was first tried on a fifteen-month-old infant named Eileen Saxon. The blue baby syndrome had made her lips and fingers turn blue, with the rest of her skin having a very faint blue tinge. She could take only a few steps before beginning to breathe heavily.
Because no instruments for cardiac surgery then existed, Thomas adapted the needles and clamps for the procedure from those in use in the animal lab. During the surgery itself, at Blalock's request, Thomas stood on a step stool at Blalock's shoulder and coached him step by step through the procedure.
Thomas had performed the operation hundreds of times on a dog, whereas Blalock had done so only once as Thomas' assistant. The surgery was not completely successful, though it did prolong the infant's life for several months.
Blalock and his team operated again, on an 11-year-old girl, this time with complete success, and the patient was able to leave the hospital three weeks after the surgery. Next, they operated on a six-year-old boy, who dramatically regained his color at the end of the surgery.
The three cases formed the basis for the article that was published in the May 1945 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, giving credit to Blalock and Taussig for the procedure. Thomas received no mention.
Family, Dating & Relationship Status
As of 2025, it is known that Vivien Thomas was married to his wife, Cretia Thomas, with whom he had children. They shared a commitment to each other through the ups and downs of his challenging career, particularly during a time when African Americans faced immense difficulties in the workforce. Vivien Thomas is remembered fondly by his family, who honor his contributions to medicine and the legacy he left behind.
There are noted discrepancies in references to Thomas' birthplace due to his listing New Iberia as his birthplace on his World War II draft card, and when he died in 1985, his obituary in The Baltimore Sun also listed New Iberia. New Iberia was his mother's hometown, Lake Providence his father's.
Either way, the family did not stay in Louisiana for long, moving to Nashville, Tennessee, when Thomas was about two years old.
Net Worth and Salary
Estimating the current net worth of Vivien Thomas in 2025 would be speculative; however, at the time of his death in 1985, he did not accumulate significant wealth typical of high-profile medical professionals. His work was distinguished more by its historical importance than financial gain. It is known that his contributions laid the groundwork for modern cardiac surgery, which has immense financial and medicinal value in contemporary times.
Career, Business and Investments
Vivien Thomas's career primarily revolved around his pioneering role as a laboratory supervisor at Johns Hopkins University. Despite facing racial discrimination, he was instrumental in developing techniques for surgical procedures that have saved countless lives. His work led to the creation of the first successful operations for children with congenital heart defects, which transformed cardiac surgery outcomes. Thomas also had a significant influence on future generations of surgeons, many of whom cite him as a mentor.
In the wake of the stock market crash in October 1929, Thomas put his educational plans on hold and, through a friend, secured a job in February 1930 as surgical research assistant with Dr. Alfred Blalock at Vanderbilt University. On his first day of work, Thomas assisted Blalock with a surgical experiment on a dog.
At the end of Thomas' first day, Blalock told Thomas they would do another experiment the next morning. Blalock told Thomas to "come in and put the animal to sleep and get it set up." Within a few weeks, Thomas was starting surgery on his own.
Thomas was classified and paid as a janitor, despite the fact that by the mid-1930s, he was doing the work of a postdoctoral researcher in the lab.
Social Network
Though not very active in social networks as we understand today, Vivien Thomas has had his work highlighted in various platforms and documentaries. His presence has been bolstered by retrospective examinations of his life in recent years, including the HBO film "Something the Lord Made," which depicts his contributions to medicine and his relationship with Dr. Alfred Blalock.
By 1940, the work Blalock had done with Thomas placed Blalock at the forefront of American surgery, and when he was offered the position of Chief of Surgery at his alma mater Johns Hopkins in 1941, he requested that Thomas accompany him.
Thomas arrived in Baltimore with his family in June of that year, confronting a severe housing shortage and a level of racism worse than they had endured in Nashville. Johns Hopkins, like the rest of Baltimore, was rigidly segregated, and the only Black employees at the institution were janitors.
When Thomas walked the halls in his white lab coat, many heads turned, and he began wearing city clothes when he walked from the laboratory to Blalock's office because he received so much attention. During this time, he lived in the 1200 block of Caroline Street in the community now known as Oliver, Baltimore.
Education
Vivien Thomas’s educational background includes significant self-study due to financial constraints, as he was unable to complete his undergraduate degree at the time. However, his genius and relentless pursuit of knowledge in the medical field positioned him as an influential figure in cardiac research. He eventually received recognition for his expertise, being appointed as the first African American laboratory supervisor at Johns Hopkins Hospital.
Vivien Theodore Thomas (August 29, 1910 – November 26, 1985) was an American laboratory supervisor who, in the 1940s, played a major role in developing a procedure now called the Blalock–Thomas–Taussig shunt used to treat blue baby syndrome (now known as cyanotic heart disease) along with surgeon Alfred Blalock and cardiologist Helen B.
Taussig. He was the assistant to Blalock in Blalock's experimental animal laboratory at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, and later at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland.
Thomas was unique in that he did not have any professional education or experience in a research laboratory; however, he served as supervisor of the surgical laboratories at Johns Hopkins for 35 years. In 1976, Johns Hopkins awarded him an honorary doctorate and named him an Instructor of Surgery for the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine.
Without any education past high school, Thomas rose above poverty and racism to become a cardiac surgery pioneer and a teacher of operative techniques to many of the country's most prominent surgeons.
