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The Heart Healers: The Misfits, Mavericks, and Rebels Who Created the Greatest Medical Breakthrough of Our Lives
At one time, heart disease was a death sentence. In The Heart Healers, world renowned cardiologist Dr. James Forrester tells the story of the mavericks and rebels who defied the accumulated medical wisdom of the day to begin conquering heart disease. By the middle of the 20th century, heart disease was killing millions and, as with the Black Death centuries before, physicians stood helpless. Visionaries, though, had begun to make strides earlier. On Sept. 7, 1895, Ludwig Rehn successfully sutured the heart of a living man with a knife wound to the chest for the first time. Once it was deemed possible to perform surgery on the heart, others followed. In 1929, Dr. Werner Forssman inserted a cardiac catheter in his own arm and forced the x-ray technician on duty to take a photo as he successfully threaded it down the vein into his own heart...and lived. On June 6, 1944 - D-Day - another momentous event occurred far from the Normandy beaches: Dr. Dwight Harken sutured the shrapnel-injured heart of a young soldier, saved his life and the term "cardiac surgeon" born.
Dr. Forrester tells the story of these rebels and the risks they took with their own lives and the lives of others to heal the most elemental of human organs - the heart. The result is a compelling chronicle of a disease and its cure, a disease that is still with us, but one that is slowly being worn away by "The Heart Healers".
Dr. Forrester tells the story of these rebels and the risks they took with their own lives and the lives of others to heal the most elemental of human organs - the heart. The result is a compelling chronicle of a disease and its cure, a disease that is still with us, but one that is slowly being worn away by "The Heart Healers".
400 pages, Hardcover
First published June 9, 2015
About the author
James S. Forrester
1 book16 followersJames S. Forrester, MD, is the George Burns and Gracie Allen Emeritus Professor of Cardiology, former Chief of Cardiology at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center Los Angeles, and Professor of Medicine at the UCLA School of Medicine. Early in his career he developed a bedside way of treating heart attack patients, called the Forrester classification, which revolutionized the care of critically ill patients. Later he developed an approach to diagnostic heart tests, called the Diamond-Forrester method, which is used worldwide in cardiology. He has served as mentor to several hundred cardiologists, a number of whom became international leaders in heart disease. He has published over 400 full-length scientific manuscripts, been an invited visiting professor at many of the nation's leading medical universities, and given a thousand national and international cardiovascular lectures. He is the second-ever recipient of the 40,000 member American College of Cardiology's Lifetime Achievement Award, its highest honor. In 2013 his former mentees posted a video tribute on YouTube.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 49 reviews
February 17, 2017
"Here's to the crazy ones, the misfits, the rebels, the troublemakers, the round pegs in the square holes... the ones who see things differently -- they're not fond of rules... You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them, but the only thing you can't do is ignore them because they change things... they push the human race forward, and while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius, because the ones who are crazy enough to think that they can change the world, are the ones who do." - Steve Jobs
Dr. Forrester quoted Steve Jobs in the book and I felt that it summed it up perfectly.
There are very few things in this world that fascinate me more than the world of cardiology. This was perfection. If you have ANY interest at all in medical science - please read this. It's so beautifully written I struggle to find anything to say besides read it.
"That's the essence of our tale: the past, present, and future of heart disease. But it's the tree without the branches. The beauty, the fascination of our chronicle, as with all stories lies in people: the doctors and the patients who live it.
Dr. Forrester quoted Steve Jobs in the book and I felt that it summed it up perfectly.
There are very few things in this world that fascinate me more than the world of cardiology. This was perfection. If you have ANY interest at all in medical science - please read this. It's so beautifully written I struggle to find anything to say besides read it.
"That's the essence of our tale: the past, present, and future of heart disease. But it's the tree without the branches. The beauty, the fascination of our chronicle, as with all stories lies in people: the doctors and the patients who live it.
August 13, 2016
Surprised that it's not that popular a title. May be due to pricing or limited availability. Loved it. Fascinating account of how heart focused treatments have progressed over a period of time. Title really apt, story of risk takers who bet their career to advance their careers.
January 18, 2024
Truly on the shoulders of giants. Hats off to the people that keep you and your parents alive for an extra 20-30 years
March 28, 2022
4.5 stars
March 17, 2024
Not well written but super interesting anecdotal history of cardiovascular surgeries.
August 4, 2015
When I saw the size of this book, I just about had a heart attack! (Or, rather, a myocardial infarction, if you want to get technical.) And James Forrester, M.D., does get technical in this book. But don't worry, he's a skilled writer, so you coast along with him as he wends his way from the pioneer days of heart surgery to the present, examining the advancements made one by one, as surgeons both brilliant and eccentric built on the discoveries of the surgeons that came before them.
Dr. Forrester tells the story of how the miracle surgeries of today got their start in the labs and operating rooms of doctors who were brave enough to think outside the box and make connections previously unmade. "Revolutions occur when happenstance opens the door just a crack, and a unique individual standing at the door glimpses a shimmering possibility that the rest of humanity has missed," he writes.
Those standing at the door include Dr. Dwight Harken, who first dared to operate during World War II on the heart, an organ previously thought to be untouchable, by devising a way to remove shrapnel. Drs. John Gibbon and Clarence Dennis teamed up with IBM to come up with a heart-lung machine. Dr. Charles Dotter and Dr. Mason Sones discovered a way to look at the inside of coronary arteries and see heart disease in the making.
But the book is not all roses and rainbows. The practice of medicine, Dr. Forrester says, is often a matter of trial and error. "In medicine," he says, "we learn more from our mistakes than from our successes. Error exposes truth." The errors he recounts shine a light on the horrors of a death on the operating table, a life cut short, children left motherless, hearts that are "too good to die," as Dr. Forrester puts it, but do indeed die anyway.
The book is dense with information and you might lose your way if you put the book down, as I did, and then pick it up again some hours or days later. I had to backtrack several times to make sense of stories that began, were interrupted with another story, and then picked back up again twelve pages later. But it's worth the effort for this fascinating history.
The only thing that disheartened me is that in his concluding chapters, Dr. Forrester optimistically gives his recipe for avoiding heart disease, and of course, it includes commitment to a better diet and exercise. Two-thirds of Americans are either overweight or obese, and no one seems able to convince people that they are digging their own graves. I know from personal experience how difficult it is to take off weight and keep it off, and I wish I - or Dr. Forrester - could convince people of the worth of the effort. But few people are willing to listen. I'm glad we have authors like Dr. Forrester to add their voice to the urgency of the message.
Dr. Forrester tells the story of how the miracle surgeries of today got their start in the labs and operating rooms of doctors who were brave enough to think outside the box and make connections previously unmade. "Revolutions occur when happenstance opens the door just a crack, and a unique individual standing at the door glimpses a shimmering possibility that the rest of humanity has missed," he writes.
Those standing at the door include Dr. Dwight Harken, who first dared to operate during World War II on the heart, an organ previously thought to be untouchable, by devising a way to remove shrapnel. Drs. John Gibbon and Clarence Dennis teamed up with IBM to come up with a heart-lung machine. Dr. Charles Dotter and Dr. Mason Sones discovered a way to look at the inside of coronary arteries and see heart disease in the making.
But the book is not all roses and rainbows. The practice of medicine, Dr. Forrester says, is often a matter of trial and error. "In medicine," he says, "we learn more from our mistakes than from our successes. Error exposes truth." The errors he recounts shine a light on the horrors of a death on the operating table, a life cut short, children left motherless, hearts that are "too good to die," as Dr. Forrester puts it, but do indeed die anyway.
The book is dense with information and you might lose your way if you put the book down, as I did, and then pick it up again some hours or days later. I had to backtrack several times to make sense of stories that began, were interrupted with another story, and then picked back up again twelve pages later. But it's worth the effort for this fascinating history.
The only thing that disheartened me is that in his concluding chapters, Dr. Forrester optimistically gives his recipe for avoiding heart disease, and of course, it includes commitment to a better diet and exercise. Two-thirds of Americans are either overweight or obese, and no one seems able to convince people that they are digging their own graves. I know from personal experience how difficult it is to take off weight and keep it off, and I wish I - or Dr. Forrester - could convince people of the worth of the effort. But few people are willing to listen. I'm glad we have authors like Dr. Forrester to add their voice to the urgency of the message.
February 7, 2017
The pros:
Fascinating and inspiring subject. Forrester is a gifted storyteller and obviously knows his field extremely well.
The cons:
Organization was jumpy. A lot of times I wasn't sure what decade we were in. Lots of sidetracks even within sidetracks. One moment we are living a medical procedure moment by moment, then we have a flashback to something Forrester mentioned earlier in the book, then we are off learning the background of how a medical device got its name, then comparing the results to Kirk Gibson in the World Series, etc.
Also, treatment was uneven. Some medical researchers/surgeons had pages of biographical material, some were a short paragraph.
Overall, a very interesting read.
Thank you to the Goodreads First Reads program for a paperback copy of this book.
Fascinating and inspiring subject. Forrester is a gifted storyteller and obviously knows his field extremely well.
The cons:
Organization was jumpy. A lot of times I wasn't sure what decade we were in. Lots of sidetracks even within sidetracks. One moment we are living a medical procedure moment by moment, then we have a flashback to something Forrester mentioned earlier in the book, then we are off learning the background of how a medical device got its name, then comparing the results to Kirk Gibson in the World Series, etc.
Also, treatment was uneven. Some medical researchers/surgeons had pages of biographical material, some were a short paragraph.
Overall, a very interesting read.
Thank you to the Goodreads First Reads program for a paperback copy of this book.
November 28, 2019
My wife had a double heart valve replacement this year. I was staggered by the complexity of the procedure, the intensity of post-op monitoring, and the challenges of recovery and rehabilitation. So, I approached The Heart Healers with more than casual interest.
This beautifully written book covers the history of cardiology’s golden age. For a history, it is short but eventful; literally within my lifetime. In the seventy-five years since Dwight Harken’s removal of shrapnel from a WW II soldier’s heart, the field has propelled forward with a justifiable sense of urgency.
It is rare that a historian is positioned to write in the first person. But because author James S. Forrester, himself a pioneering cardiologist, personally knew of these historical contemporaries, he was able to relate their personalities and motivations. One, experiencing failure after failure, continued to schedule experimental surgeries until the hospital suspended his privileges. Another, afflicted with the “pain of the pioneer,” abruptly quit the profession after two failed childhood surgeries. A third, exhibiting the brio that led to his medical breakthroughs, wound up in prison.
But this steadfastness also led these remarkable innovators to follow their crazy-sounding visions and persist beyond reason to realize astounding medical breakthroughs. Once struck with a notion of the possible, they were willing to struggle through unimaginable failures. So, the book’s subtitle, “Misfits, Mavericks, and Rebels,” accurately characterizes these personalities.
Forrester’s insightful statements attest to the nature of innovation. He often states: “Chance favors the prepared mind,” and claims that pioneers won’t get it right the first time, but they will learn from their mistakes. Advancement is not a smooth progression; each step is built on painful failures.
Forrester writes with the precision of a surgeon and the compassion of one who loves his profession. He is able to introduce a sense of drama beyond the cool demeanor of a heart doctor.
He walks the reader through the profession’s advances, where complex problems are solved at each step. Early mainstay solutions included heart-lung bypass machines, defibrillators, and pacemakers.
By the early 1960s, surgeons turned their attention to heart failures caused by heart valve disease and heart muscle scarring from heart attacks.
Diagnostic capabilities emerged, such as the Cardiac Cath Lab and the Coronary Care Unit (CCU) where heart patients could get specialized care. Stents were developed to repair coronary artery narrowing, and balloon angioplasty was used to prevent re-narrowing.
More sophisticated artificial valves were developed. And, the application of balloon angioplasty to valve replacement led to TAVR, an aortic valve replacement procedure using a catheter-mounted stent with an artificial valve.
A section was devoted to the heart transplant “space race,” with the contrasting episodes of Christiaan Barnard in South Africa, and Norman Shumway at Stanford.
Attention also focused on a growing killer – coronary artery disease (CAD). While surgical procedures such as coronary bypasses had advanced, CAD causes and prevention were not well understood. New insights were needed.
The community learned about the dangers of cholesterol deposits (plaques) on the walls of coronary arteries. They studied how LDL (“bad”) cholesterol was formed and developed drugs to inhibit it. The importance of a heart-healthy diet was confirmed.
At this point, the book subtly turned to the reader’s health. The author leverages his knowledge on plaque formation to describe preventative behaviors involving diet, exercise, and the use of statin drugs. For all of the book’s technological advances, in the end our heart health custodianship is returned to us.
Forrester concludes by reflecting on his earlier experiences and lamenting for those who were born too soon to benefit from these achievements.
This beautifully written book covers the history of cardiology’s golden age. For a history, it is short but eventful; literally within my lifetime. In the seventy-five years since Dwight Harken’s removal of shrapnel from a WW II soldier’s heart, the field has propelled forward with a justifiable sense of urgency.
It is rare that a historian is positioned to write in the first person. But because author James S. Forrester, himself a pioneering cardiologist, personally knew of these historical contemporaries, he was able to relate their personalities and motivations. One, experiencing failure after failure, continued to schedule experimental surgeries until the hospital suspended his privileges. Another, afflicted with the “pain of the pioneer,” abruptly quit the profession after two failed childhood surgeries. A third, exhibiting the brio that led to his medical breakthroughs, wound up in prison.
But this steadfastness also led these remarkable innovators to follow their crazy-sounding visions and persist beyond reason to realize astounding medical breakthroughs. Once struck with a notion of the possible, they were willing to struggle through unimaginable failures. So, the book’s subtitle, “Misfits, Mavericks, and Rebels,” accurately characterizes these personalities.
Forrester’s insightful statements attest to the nature of innovation. He often states: “Chance favors the prepared mind,” and claims that pioneers won’t get it right the first time, but they will learn from their mistakes. Advancement is not a smooth progression; each step is built on painful failures.
Forrester writes with the precision of a surgeon and the compassion of one who loves his profession. He is able to introduce a sense of drama beyond the cool demeanor of a heart doctor.
He walks the reader through the profession’s advances, where complex problems are solved at each step. Early mainstay solutions included heart-lung bypass machines, defibrillators, and pacemakers.
By the early 1960s, surgeons turned their attention to heart failures caused by heart valve disease and heart muscle scarring from heart attacks.
Diagnostic capabilities emerged, such as the Cardiac Cath Lab and the Coronary Care Unit (CCU) where heart patients could get specialized care. Stents were developed to repair coronary artery narrowing, and balloon angioplasty was used to prevent re-narrowing.
More sophisticated artificial valves were developed. And, the application of balloon angioplasty to valve replacement led to TAVR, an aortic valve replacement procedure using a catheter-mounted stent with an artificial valve.
A section was devoted to the heart transplant “space race,” with the contrasting episodes of Christiaan Barnard in South Africa, and Norman Shumway at Stanford.
Attention also focused on a growing killer – coronary artery disease (CAD). While surgical procedures such as coronary bypasses had advanced, CAD causes and prevention were not well understood. New insights were needed.
The community learned about the dangers of cholesterol deposits (plaques) on the walls of coronary arteries. They studied how LDL (“bad”) cholesterol was formed and developed drugs to inhibit it. The importance of a heart-healthy diet was confirmed.
At this point, the book subtly turned to the reader’s health. The author leverages his knowledge on plaque formation to describe preventative behaviors involving diet, exercise, and the use of statin drugs. For all of the book’s technological advances, in the end our heart health custodianship is returned to us.
Forrester concludes by reflecting on his earlier experiences and lamenting for those who were born too soon to benefit from these achievements.
January 10, 2017
Amazing book written in way that keeps the reader engaged. Touching personal stories of patients interweaved with the harrowing tales of how medical advances were brought to bear. Dr. Forrester is well poised to recount these tales as he has witnessed first hand, and many times personally involved, in cardiology advances throughout the years. He offers great insight into what it means to be a trainee, physician, innovator, researcher, mentor and finally, patient himself.
Other great books like this include:
- The Gene: An intimate history (Siddhartha Mukherjee)
- Saving Sam: Drugs, Race, and discovering the secrets of heart disease (Jay Cohn)
- King of Hearts: The true story of the maverick who pioneered open heart urgency (G Wayne Miller)
- The Emperor of all maladies: A biography of cancer (Siddhartha Mukherjee)
- The Sublime engine: A biography of the human heart (Stephen Amidon)
- Twelve patients: life and death at Bellevue hospital (Eric Manheimer)
- God's Hotel: A doctor, a hospital, and a pilgrimage to the heart of medicine (Victoria Sweet)
- Five quarts: A personal and natural history of blood (Bill Hayes)
Other great books like this include:
- The Gene: An intimate history (Siddhartha Mukherjee)
- Saving Sam: Drugs, Race, and discovering the secrets of heart disease (Jay Cohn)
- King of Hearts: The true story of the maverick who pioneered open heart urgency (G Wayne Miller)
- The Emperor of all maladies: A biography of cancer (Siddhartha Mukherjee)
- The Sublime engine: A biography of the human heart (Stephen Amidon)
- Twelve patients: life and death at Bellevue hospital (Eric Manheimer)
- God's Hotel: A doctor, a hospital, and a pilgrimage to the heart of medicine (Victoria Sweet)
- Five quarts: A personal and natural history of blood (Bill Hayes)
May 7, 2017
This book is a superlative account of the progression of solutions for heart diseases. In The Heart Healers, Doctor James S. Forrester recounts multiple stories of people brought back from the brink of death and the patient deaths that led to more advances. From Imaging technology to statins, and Coronary Bypass Surgery to Valve Replacements, this book contains stories and accounts of many different situations.
Through the book, we follow Dr. Forrester's own developments as a Doctor. At the beginning of the book, he recounts his experiences with a man that he called Willie the Phillie. He was unable to resurrect him due to the nature of cardiac surgery at the time.
Dr. Forrester's main thesis is that it took a Maverick or Rebel to change the Paradigm in Cardiac Treatments. Around the time of World War II, no surgeon would consider operating on the heart, but then a new generation of surgeons came to the forefront of medicine and changed how things were done with their ideas and methods.
I will admit that many of the stories brought a tear to my eye. No joke.
I will certainly keep this book around to read again.
Through the book, we follow Dr. Forrester's own developments as a Doctor. At the beginning of the book, he recounts his experiences with a man that he called Willie the Phillie. He was unable to resurrect him due to the nature of cardiac surgery at the time.
Dr. Forrester's main thesis is that it took a Maverick or Rebel to change the Paradigm in Cardiac Treatments. Around the time of World War II, no surgeon would consider operating on the heart, but then a new generation of surgeons came to the forefront of medicine and changed how things were done with their ideas and methods.
I will admit that many of the stories brought a tear to my eye. No joke.
I will certainly keep this book around to read again.
January 20, 2023
Dr. Forrester's clinical work, including myocardial infarction hemodynamic subsets, and the use of Bayesian thinking in serial diagnostic testing, for example, educated me during my medical career. This collection of vignettes stimulated my interest in the advances in cardiology science and practice, during our lifetimes. Dr. Forrester's clarity in dealing with complex, medical issues is uncommon among physician authors. His ability to tell a tale makes this an adventure story.
This book provided inspiration to write my professional memoir, Different Drummer a cardiologist's memoir of imperfect heroes and care for the heart. After reading the book, I reached out to Dr. Forrester for counsel on writing and he was honest but encouraging. The book was also an important source of historical material.
I recommend this book to lay readers, especially cardiac patients or family members of patients, as well as medical care providers. It is a book of gratitude.
This book provided inspiration to write my professional memoir, Different Drummer a cardiologist's memoir of imperfect heroes and care for the heart. After reading the book, I reached out to Dr. Forrester for counsel on writing and he was honest but encouraging. The book was also an important source of historical material.
I recommend this book to lay readers, especially cardiac patients or family members of patients, as well as medical care providers. It is a book of gratitude.
June 25, 2021
Part memoir part medical history, very interesting perspective on the history of cardiology. Basically Dr. Forrester described his career, the knowledge at that time, and then progressed through history and the innovations that developed over the course of his career...most of modern cardiology. I thought it was interesting to hear it from mostly a medical standpoint (as opposed to surgical). If you ever enjoyed listening to an old attending reminiscing about their career during morning conference, then this is the book for you. Very grandfatherly passing on his story...but in a very enjoyable way.
Of note, conspicuously absent was any significant mention of Dr. DeBakey or Dr. Cooley. Maybe it was because he only touched upon people he mostly knew personally.
Of note, conspicuously absent was any significant mention of Dr. DeBakey or Dr. Cooley. Maybe it was because he only touched upon people he mostly knew personally.
May 31, 2022
Humanity, daring, brilliance, tenacity, and sometimes sheer dumb luck... "The Heart Healers" contains it all. The tales of how we got to where we are in cardiac health is told in a narrative way that grips the reader not only with its fascinating science and history, but also with the sheer heart (pun intended) shown by so many of the innovators.
These are the unsung heroes that so many of us take for granted. They dared to go where others faltered and by gambling big, saved many lives.
This book is one will not only be fascinating for those interested in medicine, but also those interested in history... or even just a good story!
This book is easily a 4.75 stars book for me! I can see myself revisiting this book again in the future. Well worth every moment of reading time.
These are the unsung heroes that so many of us take for granted. They dared to go where others faltered and by gambling big, saved many lives.
This book is one will not only be fascinating for those interested in medicine, but also those interested in history... or even just a good story!
This book is easily a 4.75 stars book for me! I can see myself revisiting this book again in the future. Well worth every moment of reading time.
August 7, 2020
Every book written by a doctor seems to follow exactly the same pattern -- occasional abstract medical details, but mostly case stories.
I don't know: maybe case stories are important for training doctors? Maybe they are beloved by most readers? But they irritate the heck out of me -- way too much unimportant fluff, way too little of the content I actually care about.
So, sorry, from me it's a hard pass. Maybe I'll eventually find a book on the subject written by someone who isn't either a doctor or (second worst type of author) a journalist...
I don't know: maybe case stories are important for training doctors? Maybe they are beloved by most readers? But they irritate the heck out of me -- way too much unimportant fluff, way too little of the content I actually care about.
So, sorry, from me it's a hard pass. Maybe I'll eventually find a book on the subject written by someone who isn't either a doctor or (second worst type of author) a journalist...
September 30, 2023
I want to recommend this book with great enthusiasm. It is beautifully written and offers an incredible depth of information to lay readers and to medical professionals. Dr Forrester beautifully describes the incredible life saving developments in cardiology and allows the reader to join him in his professional career. You will not only gain a great understanding of this amazing medical speciality, but will also leave this wonderful book with life saving information concerning your personal health.
June 6, 2017
This is an excellent history of developments in cardiology over the last 50 years...thorough (and long), but worth the time. The author loves cardiology, and is a passionate and gifted teacher and guide thru its history. I was struck by his characterization of the innovators, those pioneers in the field who would likely be kicked out of hospitals if practicing in the current era. Innovation may be more limited with checklist medicine...
August 25, 2017
I loved this book and hated putting it down! It is the amazing history of cardiology, and it was an amazing experience reading this in the ER at the same time that my grandfather was in the cath lab. Also, working for a cardiologist, I got to see this history come to life everyday. For anyone remotely interested in cardiology or with heart disease, this is a must read!
August 2, 2019
Excellent book documenting the chronology of cardiac surgery and health initiatives over the last 100 years. Nearly 650,000 Americans died from heart disease in 2016 and as such, every person should be educated in the root causes and medical options. The book reads like a historical narrative and interjects science and medicine. This makes the book readable to the non-scientist.
February 17, 2020
I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed reading this book. I definitely expected to learn, I just didn't expect to enjoy the process. This was an extremely accessible book which provides a number of great insights into a variety of cardiac related topics. It also provided the best explanation of cholesterol risk that I have ever heard/read.
February 20, 2021
Beautiful and thoughtfully written. I do hope that when anyone is experiencing a medical catastrophe, that a doctor such as this author is there to help. The kindness and bedside manner he displays throughout is exceptional and that’s not to detract from the fantastic scientific history and breakthroughs discussed in the book.
March 13, 2020
This is a fascinating, true-life recounting of the history of modern cardiology. Even the non-scientist should be captivated by the real cases presented to illustrate each step forward. I highly recommend.
November 6, 2020
I know I didn't know complete justice to this audiobook listening to it while I was cleaning the garage -and trying not to recheck the election results every thirty seconds-but I did learn something about the precarious history of advances in medical science so I'm going to call it a win.
May 9, 2021
It was an incredibly interesting book. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it and learning about the world of cardiology, medical advancement and medicine in general. At points the dialogue seemed a little made up but it’s a tiny fault and overall I’d recommend this book as it really is fascinating
February 14, 2017
Excellent history and gentle references to a myriad of human writings. Good explanation of the human heart anatomy on disc one.
July 24, 2017
Really great book to give a well-rounded view of the history of cardiology and cardiac surgery.
November 16, 2017
A fascinating overview of the history of cardiac surgery and medical cardiology. Probably needed to be trimmed down a bit, but overall very educational and enjoyable.
April 21, 2019
A truly inspirational masterpiece
Very useful and very smooth to go through
Very useful and very smooth to go through
October 23, 2019
The first half in particular was really good and engaging!
December 3, 2019
Good general overview of the events that led to open heart surgery, ICDs, pacemakers, CABG, balloon angioplasty, coronary stenting, and CAD prevention.
June 14, 2022
I lived through part of this
As a retired Cardiac Nurse I saw some of these developments. Today, I’m excited about the future of new discoveries.
As a retired Cardiac Nurse I saw some of these developments. Today, I’m excited about the future of new discoveries.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 49 reviews