A surgeon to remember: notes about Vladimir Demikhov.

Vladimir Demikhov, first to transplant an auxiliary heart into the chest of a warm-blooded animal, first to replace the heart with a homograft, first to carry out a pulmonary transplantation, first to perform a complete heart and lung replacement, and first to perform a successful internal mammary-coronary anastomosis, deserves a place among the great experimental surgeons of all times. He has not had the widespread recognition he earned.

Weglowski and what might have been.

Ramuald Weglowski, whose work has remained practically unknown, made most significant contributions to vascular surgery during World War I and in the years that followed. These remarkably modern experiences and concepts are described. The possible influence upon the development of vascular surgery, an awareness of them and an understanding of their worth is discussed.

When did cardiac surgery begin?

Heart surgery is generally regarded as having begun on September 10, 1896 when Ludwig Rehn sutured a myocardial laceration successfully. There are valid reasons, however, to believe that cardiac surgery had its origin nearly a century earlier with the operative drainage of the pericardium by the little known Spanish surgeon, Francisco Romero, and highly regarded Baron Dominique Jean Larrey. This procedure entailed making a thoracic incision and opening and draining the pericardium.

A personal overview of causalgia and other reflex dystrophies.

This is a personal assessment of true major causalgia and the other reflex dystrophies, related but distinctly separate entities. The clinical picture of causalgia differs only in minor respects from that described by Mitchell over 120 years ago. Its management has, however, been clarified, largely through the extensive experiences of World War II.

Extraperitoneal approach for vascular operations: retrospective review.

Various extraperitoneal approaches for vascular operations have been developed since the external iliac artery was first exposed and ligated in this manner in 1796. By now a considerable number, each capable of modification and extension, have been devised. It is now possible to operate extraperitoneally upon any portion of the abdominal aorta, the iliac arteries, and most of the important aortic visceral branches.

Management of moderate lymphedema.

Moderate chronic lymphedema generally requires a different program of management than mild or massive lymphedema. It responds well to a special management regimen based on home use of an intermittent limb compressor and utilization of proper compression support when the patient is not in the recumbent position.

An American surgeon's contribution to Chinese health care.

A prominent American thoracic surgeon, Leo Eloesser, while serving with UNICEF, contributed significantly to the health care of the Chinese people in the late 1940s, during the final years of the civil war and before the establishment of the People's Republic of China. The concepts he developed, especially concerning rural health service in poor, medically deprived nations, and the factors he felt must be taken into account in developing a health care system in any nation had lasting value. The story of the origin of his plan and his efforts to implement it is briefly related.