[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 1416 Introduced in House (IH)]







110th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. RES. 1416

   Honoring Dr. Michael DeBakey for his lifetime of accomplishments.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           September 8, 2008

Mr. Boustany submitted the following resolution; which was referred to 
                  the Committee on Energy and Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
   Honoring Dr. Michael DeBakey for his lifetime of accomplishments.

Whereas Dr. Michael DeBakey, a pioneering heart surgeon, innovator, and 
        educator, was born on September 7, 1908, and passed away on July 11, 
        2008, at the age of 99;
Whereas Michael DeBakey was born and raised in Lake Charles, Louisiana, as the 
        eldest of 5 children to Lebanese immigrants and graduated as 
        Valedictorian from Lake Charles High School in 1926;
Whereas Michael DeBakey received his bachelor's of science and medical degrees 
        from Tulane University in New Orleans, Louisiana, where he remained 
        until the completion of his internship and residency in surgery at 
        Charity Hospital;
Whereas in 1932, as a student at Tulane Medical School, Michael DeBakey invented 
        the roller pump, which became the major component of the heart-lung 
        machine used in the first open heart surgery;
Whereas during World War II, Michael DeBakey served in the Army and was awarded 
        the Legion of Merit for his help in developing mobile army surgical 
        hospitals, called MASH units, and specialized treatment centers for 
        returning veterans while working as the director of the Office of the 
        Surgeon General in Europe;
Whereas Michael DeBakey moved to Houston, Texas, in 1948, where he joined the 
        Baylor University College of Medicine, to which he was appointed 
        president in 1969, when he helped the school create its own identity 
        after the university separated from its school of medicine;
Whereas the Baylor College of Medicine currently accepts approximately 1,340 
        students per year;
Whereas in 1949, Michael DeBakey led a movement to help establish the National 
        Library of Medicine and wrote over 1,000 medical reports, papers, 
        chapters, and books on surgery, medicine and related topics, including 
        ``The Living Heart'' and ``The Living Diet'';
Whereas in the mid-1950s, Michael DeBakey was the first person to perform the 
        replacement of arterial aneurysms and obstructive lesions, as well as 
        later introducing bypass pumps and connections to replace segments of 
        diseased arteries;
Whereas in 1960, Michael DeBakey became a leading pioneer in the creation of the 
        artificial heart used to assist patients awaiting transplants, and in 
        1966 he was the first to successfully use the left ventricular bypass 
        pump in a partially artificial heart;
Whereas Michael DeBakey was appointed to chairman of the President's Commission 
        on Heart Disease, Cancer, and Stroke in 1964, during President Lyndon B. 
        Johnson's administration;
Whereas Michael DeBakey was presented with the Medal of Freedom with Distinction 
        in 1969 by President Johnson and later awarded the National Medicine of 
        Science in 1987;
Whereas Michael DeBakey was recognized with Lifetime Achievement Awards from the 
        Foundation for Biomedical Research in 1991 and the United Nations in 
        1999;
Whereas in 1996, Michael DeBakey was inducted into the Health Care Hall of Fame, 
        and in 2000 he was cited as a Living Legend by the Library of Congress;
Whereas Michael DeBakey was the first foreign physician to be named an honorary 
        member of the Russian Academy of Science;
Whereas Michael DeBakey received the Commercial Invention of the Year award in 
        2002 for the invention of the MicroMed DeBakey VAD, in collaboration 
        with the National Aeronautical and Space Administration, which was first 
        implanted in patients in Germany and Austria in 1998, and later in 
        American patients in 2000;
Whereas Michael DeBakey performed over 60,000 heart surgeries during his 70-year 
        career on a range of patients including, American Presidents John F. 
        Kennedy, Lyndon Baines Johnson, and Richard Nixon, as well as the Duke 
        of Windsor, the Shah of Iran, King Hussein of Jordan, Turkish President 
        Turgut Ozal, and Nicaraguan leader Violetta Chamorro;
Whereas over his lifetime, Michael DeBakey helped create more than 70 surgical 
        instruments, including new blood transfusion needles, new suture 
        scissors, and a new colostomy clamp;
Whereas on April 23, 2008, President George W. Bush awarded Michael DeBakey, the 
        chancellor emeritus of Baylor College of Medicine, the Congressional 
        Gold Medal, Congress' highest civilian honor;
Whereas Michael DeBakey was buried with military honors at Arlington National 
        Cemetery;
Whereas Michael DeBakey devoted his life to medical education, inspiring 
        generations of healthcare providers, teachers, and Louisianans to 
        achieve greatness; and
Whereas with the death of Michael DeBakey on July 11, 2008, in Houston, Texas, 
        the United States lost a prolific and premier surgeon and teacher: Now, 
        therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives honors Dr. Michael 
DeBakey for his lifetime of accomplishments and recognizes Dr. 
DeBakey's immeasurable contributions to medicine, education, and all of 
humanity.
                                 <all>