The Blalock-Taussig shunt: the social history of an eponym.
Creating eponyms for surgical procedures or medical discoveries can be a simple objective process of attaching names of innovators. Some eponyms, however, have a controversial history. Undertaking the first systemic-to-pulmonary arterial shunt required the combined efforts of Helen Taussig, Vivien Thomas, and Alfred Blalock. In this review, I attempt to look beyond the mechanics of attributing the eponym to the larger social history surrounding the term.
Evans
William N
WN
Children's Heart Center, Las Vegas, NV 89109, USA. wnevans50@aol.com
D001166:Arteriovenous Shunt, Surgical / Q000266:history*; D002648:Child; D004850:Eponyms; D006330:Heart Defects, Congenital / Q000266:history* / Q000601:surgery; D049673:History, 20th Century; D006801:Humans; D014481:United States