Daniel Hale Willams
By; Erica Lamb
Daniel Hale Willams was a man ahead of his time. He performed the first known open heart surgery in the United States, and also founded a hospital with an interracial staff during an extremely racial time in history. Daniel Willams was born Jan. 18 1856. He was born African American. At the time he was born, the civil war was still a few years ahead. But his family lived North, where slavery was illegal. So he had a happy childhood. His father was a barber, and made enough money to support his wife and seven children. When Daniel was older, he helped his dad out by keeping shaving mugs, brushes, razors, and scissors neat and clean. He also learned how to cut hair atr an early age.(Venezia,2010) When Daniel was eleven years old his father became ill and died. Daniel’s family was too big for his mom to support by herself, so they has to split some of the family. Some of Daniel’s sisters went to go stay with relatives, Daniel was sent to live in Baltimore with family friends, and Mrs. Willams took two of her daughters to live in Illinois, Dan needed a job so he became an apprentice to a shoemaker in Baltimore, Maryland.(Venezia, 2010)
Daniel hated being a shoemaker, so he quit and decided to be a …show more content…
Willams performed an extraordinary operation. A patient named James Cornish was brought to the hospital. He had been stabbed in the chest during a knife fight. Dr. Willams suspected his patients heart had been pierced, and prepared to operate.(Venezia,2010) Opening a persons chest to see if the heart was damaged was almost unheard of at the time, and was extremely risky. But Dr. Willams was confident.(Venezia,2010) When Dr. Willams began the operation he found out that the pericardium, the sack that surrounds the heart had been cut. Dr. Willams successfully repaired the pericardium and stitched saved the patient’s life.
By; Erica Lamb
Daniel Hale Willams was a man ahead of his time. He performed the first known open heart surgery in the United States, and also founded a hospital with an interracial staff during an extremely racial time in history. Daniel Willams was born Jan. 18 1856. He was born African American. At the time he was born, the civil war was still a few years ahead. But his family lived North, where slavery was illegal. So he had a happy childhood. His father was a barber, and made enough money to support his wife and seven children. When Daniel was older, he helped his dad out by keeping shaving mugs, brushes, razors, and scissors neat and clean. He also learned how to cut hair atr an early age.(Venezia,2010) When Daniel was eleven years old his father became ill and died. Daniel’s family was too big for his mom to support by herself, so they has to split some of the family. Some of Daniel’s sisters went to go stay with relatives, Daniel was sent to live in Baltimore with family friends, and Mrs. Willams took two of her daughters to live in Illinois, Dan needed a job so he became an apprentice to a shoemaker in Baltimore, Maryland.(Venezia, 2010)
Daniel hated being a shoemaker, so he quit and decided to be a …show more content…
Willams performed an extraordinary operation. A patient named James Cornish was brought to the hospital. He had been stabbed in the chest during a knife fight. Dr. Willams suspected his patients heart had been pierced, and prepared to operate.(Venezia,2010) Opening a persons chest to see if the heart was damaged was almost unheard of at the time, and was extremely risky. But Dr. Willams was confident.(Venezia,2010) When Dr. Willams began the operation he found out that the pericardium, the sack that surrounds the heart had been cut. Dr. Willams successfully repaired the pericardium and stitched saved the patient’s life.