Doctor Williams is a person who made a huge contribution to the development of cardiology. His name is known not only in Chicago but throughout the world due to the unique surgery on the pericardium that he first made, writes ichicago.net.
Difficult childhood
Daniel was born on September 18, 1856 in Hollidaysburg. He was the 5th child in the family. His parents had 6 children. The boy’s father worked in a local hairdressing saloon, and his mother raised children. They lived poorly, barely earning their living.
When Daniel was 9 years old, the Williamses moved to Annapolis. It seemed that everything was fine and life would change. However, it did not happen. The boy’s father passed away due to tuberculosis. All the problems fell upon the mother. The woman could not provide for her family on her own, so she sent the youngest children to relatives in another city. Daniel also left but soon returned to his mother and successfully graduated from high school in Maryland.
After some time, they moved to Edgerton, where he launched a barbershop with his sister. However, due to circumstances, he went to Janesville, where he discovered such a profession as a surgeon. Then, he realized that he wanted to work in this field.
Local doctor Henry Palmer appreciated the boy’s desire for knowledge and took him as an assistant. In 1880, the future genius entered Chicago Medical College (known as Northwestern University Medical School). He graduated from it with a Ph.D in 1883.
Career development
At the beginning of his career in 1883, the young doctor faced difficulties. African-American doctors were not allowed to work in public hospitals. However, he found a way out of the situation and launched his office. Our hero shortly revealed his talent. He treated his patients with respect and sincerely worried about everyone.
In 1891, he contributed to the foundation of Provident Hospital and a nursing school for young African-American women. It is worth noting that it became the first one in the country where they could undergo an internship.
Important surgery
In 1893, our hero became famous all over the world. On July 9, a patient named James Cornish was brought to him with a serious stab wound. Every minute counted. All the symptoms indicated that the patient was developing shock, which without assistance would lead to death. At that time, the hospital did not have antibiotics or blood transfusion equipment.
Despite everything, taking the risk, on July 10, our hero successfully completed the surgery. It turned out that the patient had a rupture of the pericardium and a stab wound in the heart about 2.5 cm wide. After 50 days, the patient recovered and left the hospital. According to literature data, such surgery was the first documented. It became a real breakthrough.
In 1897, the whole world learned about it and the doctor earned a positive reputation. In 1893, he moved to Washington, DC, where he took the position of chief surgeon at Howard University Hospital. He was soon appointed professor of clinical surgery at Meharry Medical College in Nashville. He also worked as a surgeon at the Cook County Hospital.
The surgeon not only helped people but also fought for the fair treatment of African Americans in public hospitals. In 1895, the doctor became a member of the National Medical Association, which united all specialists in the country. Until the end of his days, he worked in this area and received many awards for his service.
In 1931, the doctor passed away, leaving behind a large legacy.