The movie is about a white surgeon Alfred Blalock‘s partnership with his African American assistant, Vivien Thomas, in developing Blalock-Taussig shunt, a surgical procedure that saved the lives of babies who had blue baby syndrome. In essence, the shunt was made as an anastomosis of the subclavian and pulmonary artery, to provide oxygenated blood to cyanotic babies. (For those who are not medically inclined- it was a breakthrough surgical procedure done to provide oxygen to babies who couldn’t survive long after their births due to the lack of oxygenated blood, and so it was kind of a big deal.) This movie tells an extraordinary story about an ordinary man whose role was pivotal to this invention. Vivien Thomas was an African American guy who had never gone to medical school and was previously a carpenter apprentice – and what’s more, all this happened in a time when racial disparity was as deep as the Mariana Trench. The movie was a recount of the historical event, but took on more of Thomas’ perspective, and it zoomed in on the complex relationship between the two men, how close they were when they were working together, yet how distant they were in social settings when they were out of the lab. 

There are those movies that inspire you, and then there are those that inspire you. This is one such movie. Let me start by saying, if you haven’t seen it, I highly recommend you to do so- it will be time well spent, I promise. It’s a story worth telling mainly because it was a story about a man who worked hard and shone through even when the circumstances were not in his favor. A story about an underdog who won the day, except it’s many times better- it was a significant milestone in the history of modern medicine; it saved millions of lives; and it marked the beginning of pediatric cardiosurgery. 

One of the things I loved about the movie was that I think it did a very good job depicting the era during which this relationship/partnership (between Blalock and Thomas) took place- the environment, the people, and the socio-cultural interactions between the races (and also amongst the people of the same race). There was a lot of subtleties, like how his own people who were working in the hospital were curious/suspicious/envious of Thomas when he got to wear the lab coat; like how Thomas saved up for his medical school only to find out it was all gone when Depression hit America. It must’ve been frustrating for him, no doubt. Yet in a way it was serendipity- if he had gone to medical school, he wouldn’t have continued working for Blalock, and this great work of collaboration wouldn’t have happened. Not saying that the invention wouldn’t have happened, but it wouldn’t have been the same. And then there was the conversation between Thomas and his brother, about the Brown vs. Board of Education – another significant event in the African American history in which it was deemed unconstitutional by the U.S. Supreme Court for public schools to separate the black and white students. It may be easy to dismiss it today, but it was really a huge feat back then, and it painted a clearer picture of the times that they were living in. Other things were like how there were separated washrooms for the blacks and whites, how they could only enter the hospital through a separate back door etc. People probably don’t think about it now, but it was a great reminder of how things have changed so much since then, and for the better.

Thomas’ diligence and creativity was inspiring; when he was in the lab you could tell that he was in his element. The lack of appreciation of his contribution did not sit well for him, and at some point he gave up and moved on to something else for a change, but then he went back to it after all. Was it because as frustrating as it was, he understood the circumstances, and made peace with it? Or was it more of a resilience to fight back in his own way, the way he knew how- by doing what he does best and show the world he will not be “defeated”? I don’t know. Perhaps it’s a little of both, and his passion for the work he was doing.

There is also another person I thought was worth mentioning- Dr. Helen Taussig, the other doctor who also worked on this shunt. In fact it was her who went to Blalock to ask for assistance. She was one of the first female doctors in a time when medicine was a male dominated field and females did not enjoy the socioeconomic status that we do today. It was tremendously tough for her to become a doctor; on top of that she was dyslexic to begin with, and became deaf in the later part of her life. But all these did not stop her from being an amazing physician who learned to lip-read to listen to her patients, and to listen to her patients’ heartbeats with her fingers in lieu of a stethoscope. And even though her male colleagues sneered at her idea that something could be done for the blue babies, it did not discourage her to pursue it till the end. For all those reasons, I just think she’s awesome. Hats off to her!

Anyway. Thought it was a great story told beautifully, and I probably didn’t give it enough justice it deserves, so if you have the chance, do watch it. Peace. 🙂