All of the credit for this handsome find goes to Levina. And look, guys, the list has passed 20! After months of dragging my feet, this bitch is finally legal.
HISTORIC BONER NO. 21 Vivien Thomas, pioneer of cardiac surgery
The Evidence:
Look, they're stethoscope twins!
You gotta give it to Thomas for putting up with all the shit he did in his career amidst the racism of 1940's America. I suppose it didn't help that he worked both in Nashville and Baltimore, but then again my only points of reference for the latter come from a childhood visit to the Baltimore Aquarium and from watching the Wire (Omar don't scare.). I digress. In short, Thomas perfected the surgical procedure performed on patients with blue baby syndrome, but wasn't given credit for his part in this or his role guiding the surgeons during the surgery (he wasn't allowed to operate as he had only a high school diploma, due to financial complications during the Great Depression). And after training countless surgeons at Johns Hopkins, all the University could do was award him an Honorary Doctor of Laws. Because lawyers perform surgery.
I wonder what I could do with a Master's degree in museum education... Maybe they'd let me perform minor surgeries, or let me get all up in there like this dude (though I'd rather pursue my dream of becoming a urologist...). Or at least allow me to stalk the halls for hot, young, available interns...
Next Time: An English archaeologist (a layday)
