The Heartbeat of Innovation

A History of Cardiac Surgery at the Toronto General Hospital

By: Edward Shorter, Hugh E. Scully, Bernard S. Goldman

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Hardcover | 2 March 2022

At a Glance

Hardcover
448 Pages

Dimensions(cm)
22.8 x 15.2 x 2.5

Hardcover

RRP $79.99

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Great innovations take place within great institutions. Founded in 1819, Toronto General Hospital (TGH) is one of Canada’s oldest hospitals and has created a nurturing environment for early Canadian innovations in heart surgery. The Heartbeat of Innovation tells the story of the brilliant surgeons who worked there and the hospital environment that provided an incubator to the many people – skilled perfusionists, dedicated nurses, and pioneering cardiologists – who participated in the revolution in heart surgery that took place along University Avenue in Toronto.

Supported by historical records, hospital archives, personal memoirs, and interviews, this book is an extensive and descriptive account of the seemingly inexorable development of cardiac surgery at this leading academic health science centre. It pursues several themes: the complexity of this surgical specialty, its generally male-dominated nature, the trend to teamwork in practice, and the evolution and incorporation of original research into this branch of healthcare. These strands are woven together to demonstrate how the TGH has evolved into such a dominant leader in the competitive and demanding field of cardiac surgery. Canadian hearts may beat with pride at the knowledge that one of the major stories in modern medicine took place here – and continues here.

Industry Reviews

A fun read! This book offers insider perspectives of Toronto General Hospital's heart surgery giants - how they literally 'walked' and 'talked' - from individuals who worked alongside many of them. Exposed are the surgical personalities and tensions - rarely shared beyond inner circles - revealing the 'sharp elbows' and 'bitterness' that pervaded the environment at times.

- Shelley McKellar, Hannah Chair in the History of Medicine, Western University

It was my great fortune to train with these outstanding University of Toronto cardiac surgeons more than forty years ago. I was inspired by their commitment to scholarship, innovation, and technical excellence in pursuit of the highest standard in patient care. Like many academic cardiothoracic surgeons around the world, I was grateful to receive valuable mentorship and sponsorship from this pre-eminent group of cardiac surgeons.

- G. Alexander Patterson, M.D, Joseph C. Bancroft Professor of Surgery, Washington University, and Editor-in-Chief, Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery

The contributions of the Toronto General Hospital program toward the global development of the field of cardiac surgery are historic and in several ways unsurpassed. This is a riveting book, masterfully crafted by doctors Shorter, Scully, and Goldman. Canada had and continues to have a huge international impact in cardiac surgery, and the innovative work at the Toronto General Hospital has been central to this positive role.

- Marc Ruel, Professor and Chair of Cardiac Surgery, University of Ottawa Heart Institute, and President, Canadian Cardiovascular Society

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