[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 137 (Monday, September 17, 2007)]
[House]
[Pages H10401-H10406]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
AWARDING A CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL TO MICHAEL ELLIS DeBAKEY, M.D.
Mr. AL GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and
pass the bill (H.R. 1154) to award a Congressional Gold Medal to
Michael Ellis DeBakey, M.D.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 1154
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. FINDINGS.
The Congress makes the following findings:
(1) Michael Ellis DeBakey, M.D. was born on September 7,
1908 in Lake Charles, Louisiana, to Shaker and Raheeja
DeBakey.
(2) Dr. DeBakey, at the age of 23 and still a medical
student, reported a major invention, a roller pump for blood
transfusions, which later became a major component of the
heart-lung machine used in the first successful open-heart
operation.
(3) Even though Dr. DeBakey had already achieved a national
reputation as an authority on vascular disease and had a
promising career as a surgeon and teacher, he volunteered for
military service during World War II, joining the Surgeon
General's staff and rising to the rank of Colonel and Chief
of the Surgical Consultants Division.
(4) As a result of this first-hand knowledge of military
service, Dr. DeBakey made numerous recommendations for the
proper staged management of war wounds, which led to the
development of mobile army surgical hospitals or MASH units
and earned Dr. DeBakey the Legion of Merit in 1945.
(5) After the war, Dr. DeBakey proposed the systematic
medical follow-up of veterans and recommended the creation of
specialized medical centers in different areas of the United
States to treat wounded military personnel returning from war
and from this recommendation evolved the Veterans Affairs
Medical Center System and the establishment of the Commission
on Veterans Medical Problems of the National Research
Council.
(6) In 1948, Dr. DeBakey joined the Baylor University
College of Medicine, where he developed the first surgical
residency program in the City of Houston, and today, guided
by Dr. DeBakey's vision, the College is one of the most
respected health science centers in the Nation.
(7) In 1953, Dr. DeBakey performed the first successful
procedures to treat patients who suffered aneurysms leading
to severe strokes, and he later developed a series of
innovative surgical techniques for the treatment of aneurysms
enabling thousands of lives to be saved in the years ahead.
(8) In 1964, Dr. DeBakey triggered the most explosive era
in modern cardiac surgery, when he performed the first
successful coronary bypass, once again paving the way for
surgeons world-wide to offer hope to thousands of patients
who might otherwise succumb to heart disease.
(9) Two years later, Dr. DeBakey made medical history
again, when he was the first to successfully use a partial
artificial heart to solve the problems of a patient who could
not be weaned from a heart-lung machine following open-heart
surgery.
(10) In 1968, Dr. DeBakey supervised the first successful
multi-organ transplant, in which a heart, both kidneys, and
lung were transplanted from a single donor into 4 separate
recipients.
(11) In 1964, President Lyndon B. Johnson appointed Dr.
DeBakey to the position of Chairman of the President's
Commission on Heart Disease, Cancer and Stroke, leading to
the creation of Regional Medical Programs established ``to
encourage and assist in the establishment of regional
cooperative arrangements among medical schools, research
institutions, and hospitals, for research and training.''.
(12) In the mid-1960's, Dr. DeBakey pioneered the field of
telemedicine with the first demonstration of open-heart
surgery to be transmitted overseas by satellite.
(13) In 1969, Dr. DeBakey was elected the first President
of Baylor College of Medicine.
(14) In 1969, President Lyndon B. Johnson bestowed on Dr.
DeBakey the Presidential Medal of Freedom with Distinction,
and in 1985, President Ronald Reagan conferred on him the
National Medal of Science.
(15) Working with NASA engineers, he refined existing
technology to create the DeBakey Ventricular Assist Device,
one-tenth the size of current versions, which may eliminate
the need for heart transplantation in some patients.
SEC. 2. CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL.
(a) Presentation Authorized.--The Speaker of the House of
Representatives and the President Pro Tempore of the Senate
shall make appropriate arrangements for the presentation, on
behalf of the Congress, of a gold medal of appropriate
design, to Michael Ellis DeBakey, M.D., in recognition of his
many outstanding contributions to the Nation.
(b) Design and Striking.--For purposes of the presentation
referred to in subsection (a), the Secretary of the Treasury
(referred to in this Act as the ``Secretary'') shall strike a
gold medal with suitable emblems, devices, and inscriptions
to be determined by the Secretary.
SEC. 3. DUPLICATE MEDALS.
The Secretary may strike and sell duplicates in bronze of
the gold medal struck pursuant to section 2 under such
regulations as the Secretary may prescribe, at a price
sufficient to cover the cost thereof, including labor,
materials, dies, use of machinery, and overhead expenses, and
the cost of the gold medal.
SEC. 4. STATUS OF MEDALS.
(a) National Medals.--The medals struck pursuant to this
Act are national medals for purposes of chapter 51 of title
31, United States Code.
(b) Numismatic Items.--For purposes of sections 5134 and
5136 of title 31, United States Code, all medals struck under
this Act shall be considered to be numismatic items.
SEC. 5. AUTHORITY TO USE FUND AMOUNTS; PROCEEDS OF SALE.
(a) Authority to Use Fund Amounts.--There is authorized to
be charged against the United States Mint Public Enterprise
Fund such amounts as may be necessary to pay for the costs of
the medals struck pursuant to this Act.
(b) Proceeds of Sale.--Amounts received from the sale of
duplicate bronze medals authorized under section 3 shall be
deposited into the United States Mint Public Enterprise Fund.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Texas (Mr. Al Green) and the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Culberson) each
will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Al Green).
General Leave
Mr. AL GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all
Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend
their remarks and to include extraneous material on this bill, H.R.
1154.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Texas?
There was no objection.
Mr. AL GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
Mr. Speaker, I am honored to be the original sponsor of this bill.
However, Mr. Speaker, I would like to make it conspicuously clear that
to award this Congressional Gold Medal to the Honorable Michael
DeBakey, many other persons are to be thanked.
I would like to start by thanking the chairman of the Financial
Services Committee, my chairman, Chairman Barney Frank, for helping us
to expeditiously get this bill out of committee. I would also like to
thank the majority leader, Steny Hoyer, for the outstanding work that
he has done to get this bill to the floor; my colleagues, Congressman
Michael Burgess and the Congressman who is with
[[Page H10402]]
me right now, Congressman Burgess is en route, Congressman John
Culberson. They have both worked with me, Mr. Speaker, to help us
acquire the necessary votes, 290, and I assure you we have acquired
more than 300 votes, to get this bill to the floor. The Texas
delegation has worked with us and deserves an expression of
appreciation. The 313 cosponsors in the U.S. House, the leadership of
the U.S. House of Representatives, and of course we would like to thank
Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison, and the Members of the Senate for what
they have done with this legislation.
Mr. Speaker, the Congressional Gold Medal has many judges. In fact,
535 people act as judges with reference to the awarding of the
Congressional Gold Medal. Each Member of the House, 435, and each
Senator has a vote. Each one judges the merits of a candidate for a
Congressional Gold Medal.
I want you and all others to know, Mr. Speaker, and I understand this
and I guess I want people to understand that I understand, that it is
not easy to get 290 Members of the House and 67 Members of the Senate
to agree. However, with Dr. Michael DeBakey, I found that it was a
labor of love, and I found all of the Members that we approached to be
most receptive to having this medal be accorded the Honorable Dr.
Michael DeBakey.
Let me at this time explain what a Congressional Gold Medal is. It is
the Nation's highest and most distinguished civilian award. It was
originally awarded to military leaders and later became a civilian
medal. It is the congressional equivalent of the Presidential Medal of
Freedom.
Each medal is unique, and it will be coined by the United States Mint
and designed by the United States Mint. There will be duplicates made
in bronze, and they will be available for public consumption.
The Congressional Gold Medal has been awarded approximately 134 times
to approximately 300 individuals. Some noted recipients include the
first President of our Nation, George Washington; General Andrew
Jackson; the Wright Brothers; Thomas Edison; Sam Rayburn, a former
Speaker of this august body; sir Winston Churchill; Robert Kennedy;
Lady Bird Johnson; Mother Teresa; Nelson Mandela; Rosa Parks; Pope John
Paul II; the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King; and Coretta Scott King.
And the last recipients were the Tuskegee Airmen.
Mr. Speaker, I want to thank God for Dr. Michael DeBakey. He is truly
one who epitomizes the American Dream. Born the oldest of five
children, his parents were of Lebanese descent. He was born in my home
State, New Orleans, Louisiana. And, Mr. Speaker, I am proud to say that
he had his residency at Charity Hospital, the hospital where I was
delivered, and I am currently researching to find out if it is entirely
possible that I might be a person who was delivered by the Honorable
Michael DeBakey.
He received his degree from Tulane Medical School. He was on the
faculty of Baylor University from 1948 to 1993. He chaired the
department of surgery at Baylor. He was the president of Baylor College
and also a chancellor.
Mr. Speaker, the Honorable Michael DeBakey has earned the right to
receive a Congressional Gold Medal. He served his country during World
War II, helped to develop the mobile army surgical hospital units known
as the MASH units. We probably would not have a MASH TV series if not
but for the Honorable Michael DeBakey.
He helped to develop and establish the VA hospitals. He helped to
establish the current Veterans Affairs medical system. He established
the field of surgery in the area of strokes. He led the movement to
establish the National Library of Medicine. He performed the historic
multiple transplantation procedure. He was a leader in the development
of the artificial heart. He operated on more than 60,000 patients in
Houston alone. He has published more than 1,600 articles. He has been
awarded 57 honorary degrees. He helped to establish health care systems
around the world, in Jordan, Morocco, Russia, Saudi Arabia, and Spain,
to name a few.
Dr. DeBakey is a great citizen not only of the United States of
America but also of the world. He has been a humanitarian par
excellence, and he has helped both rich and poor alike.
Mr. Speaker, if we did not have a Congressional Gold Medal, we would
have to create one to honor the Honorable Dr. Michael DeBakey. On his
99th birthday, I am proud to say, we called him to let him know that we
had reached the 290 signatures necessary in the House. And his comments
were, ``I am so grateful that I am a citizen of the United States.''
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. CULBERSON. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
It is my singular honor to stand before the House today to support
H.R. 1154, a bill that Mr. Green is the lead author of, which he has
coauthored with Mr. Burgess and I and other members of the Texas
delegation, which Senator Hutchison has carried in the Senate, to award
the Congressional Gold Medal to Dr. Michael DeBakey.
Al Green and I are proud to represent the Texas Medical Center in
Houston, the largest assembly of medical institutions and hospitals,
learning facilities in the world, and certainly the greatest collection
of medical talent, human talent in the entire world. And Dr. Michael
DeBakey has had an impact on medicine based out of the Texas Medical
Center that just simply cannot be overstated. And my friend Al Green
has spoken so eloquently and so well of many of Dr. DeBakey's
accomplishments. I could not agree more that if the Congressional Gold
Medal did not exist, it certainly should be created just for Dr.
Michael DeBakey.
He is an educator, surgeon, innovator. As Mr. Green has said, Dr.
DeBakey comes from Louisiana, the oldest of five children. He was born
in 1908. And it is important for people listening to know that this
great good man is 99 years old, in great good health, is still active,
and is, I hope, watching this afternoon.
He received both his bachelor's, his master's, and his medical
degrees all from Tulane University in New Orleans and completed his
internship at the Charity Hospital and his residency at the University
of Strasbourg, France and Heidelberg, Germany.
At the age of 23, and still a medical student, he reported a major
invention, the roller pump for blood transfusions, which later became a
major component of the heart-lung machine used in the first successful
open heart operation. And while Dr. DeBakey was still a resident in
surgery, he invented a blood transfusion needle, suture scissors, and a
colostomy clamp while still a student. He is also credited with
inventing and perfecting countless other medical devices, techniques,
and procedures that have saved untold number of lives and led to
healthy hearts for millions of people throughout the world. The man is
truly a pioneer in ways that I think most people may or may not know.
He is a modest good man, and I just can't tell you how proud I am to be
here and to be a part of this tonight.
When he returned to the United States in 1937, after completing his
European studies, Dr. DeBakey accepted a position on the faculty of
Tulane University's School of Medicine Department of Surgery. And
although he had already achieved a national reputation as an authority
on vascular disease and had a promising career as a surgeon and
teacher, Dr. DeBakey volunteered for medical service during World War
II, joined the Surgeon General's staff, and rose to the rank of colonel
and chief of the surgical consultant's division.
His firsthand knowledge led Dr. DeBakey to make a number of
recommendations to properly stage the management of war wounds, which
led to the development of the MASH units that we are all so familiar
with because of the television show, and today the survival rate of
soldiers in the field is remarkable. If they are injured or wounded in
combat and defense of this Nation, the surgical attention they get from
those mobile army surgical hospitals is a direct result of Dr.
DeBakey's work in World War II. And for this contribution, Dr. DeBakey
earned the Legion of Merit in 1945.
After World War II, Dr. DeBakey recommended the creation of
specialized medical centers in different parts of the United States to
treat wounded military personnel returning from the war; and from this
recommendation, Dr. DeBakey's ideas led to the creation
[[Page H10403]]
of the Veterans Affairs Medical Center System. He also proposed a
systematic follow-up of veterans, as he had done so with soldiers in
the field, which led to the establishment of the Commission on Veterans
Medical Problems of the National Research Council and an extensive VA
Medical Center Research program. And in 2003, in honor of Dr. DeBakey's
accomplishments, with the help of my friend Al Green and Sheila
Jackson-Lee and other members of the Houston delegation, the Department
of Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Houston, Texas, was renamed the
Michael DeBakey Veterans Affairs Medical Center.
In 1948, Dr. DeBakey moved to Houston and started at the Methodist
Hospital in Baylor College of Medicine in the Texas Medical Center.
Shortly after he arrived, he secured commitments to improve the
institutions and quickly developed the first surgical residency program
in the city of Houston. Guided by his vision, Baylor College of
Medicine is today one of the most respected health science centers in
the Nation and in the world.
In 1969, as Al mentioned, Dr. DeBakey was elected the first president
of the Baylor College of Medicine, and today he is chancellor emeritus
of the Baylor College of Medicine. Dr. DeBakey has been crucial to the
growth of the Methodist Hospital in the Texas Medical Center.
At Methodist, Dr. DeBakey performed many of his groundbreaking
surgeries, including the first removal of a carotid artery blockage in
1950.
{time} 1630
Today Dr. DeBakey is a senior attending surgeon at the Methodist
Hospital.
Convinced that there must be a way to improve existing methods of
vascular surgery, Dr. DeBakey went out on his own and purchased fabric
from a Houston area fabric store, using a craft he had learned from his
mother as a child, Dr. DeBakey created the first Dacron prosthetic
artery on his wife's sewing machine. Intensive studies and testing
followed, and with the collaboration of a research associate from the
Philadelphia College of Textiles and Sciences, a knitting machine was
developed that produced the first seamless artificial artery in history
called Dacron tubes.
In 1953, Dr. DeBakey performed the first successful procedures to
treat patients who suffered aneurysms leading to severe strokes. He
later developed a series of innovative surgical techniques for the
treatment of aneurysms enabling thousands of lives to be saved in the
years ahead.
During Dr. DeBakey's tenure as a member of the Task Force on Medical
Services of the Hoover Commission, he initiated the concept and led the
movement to establish a national facility for valuable and historical
medical papers and artifacts. His efforts led to the dedication on June
12, 1959, of the National Library of Medicine housed at the National
Institutes of Health. Today the National Library of Medicine is the
world's largest and most prestigious repository of medical archives.
In 1964, President Johnson appointed Dr. DeBakey to the position of
chairman of the President's Commission on Heart Disease, Cancer and
Stroke, which led to the creation of the Regional Medical Programs
established ``to encourage and assist in the establishment of regional
cooperative arrangements among medical schools, research institutions
and hospitals for research and training.''
In 1964, Dr. DeBakey also triggered the most explosive era in modern
cardiac surgery when he performed the first successful coronary bypass
in history. That's an extraordinary achievement, and everyone should
focus on that. Dr. DeBakey was, once again, paving the way for surgeons
worldwide to offer hope to thousands of patients who might otherwise
succumb to heart disease.
Two years later, Dr. DeBakey made medical history again when he was
the first to use, successfully, a partial artificial heart to solve the
problems of a patient who could not be weaned from a heart-lung machine
following open heart surgery.
And in the mid-1960s, Dr. DeBakey pioneered the field of telemedicine
with the first demonstration of open heart surgery to be transmitted
overseas by satellite, a technique that is today used extensively in
Iraq. When soldiers in the field are injured and brought into the
hospital and they need medical care, physicians in the Texas Medical
Center, which Al Green and I are so proud to represent, are able to
view those procedures live via satellite, of the x-rays, of the CAT
scans and the procedure itself being done in Iraq. A doctor sitting in
Houston, Texas is able to help observe and offer advice on that
procedure to help save those soldiers' lives. And that technique was
first pioneered by Dr. DeBakey back in the mid-1960s.
In 1968, Dr. DeBakey supervised the first successful multi-organ
transplant where a heart, both kidneys and a lung were transplanted
from a single donor to four separate recipients. In 1968.
In 1969, President Johnson bestowed on Dr. DeBakey the Presidential
Medal of Freedom with Distinction.
Dr. DeBakey has always focused on education and bringing young people
into the field of medicine and strengthening and expanding the reach of
our medical schools. And in 1962, he supported an educational outreach
program that led to the creation of Houston High School for Health
Professions, now recognized as one of the best high schools of its kind
in the United States. And in 1996, Houston's High School for Health
Professions was renamed the Michael E. DeBakey High School for Health
Professions in honor of this great, good man.
And he was recognized by President Reagan in 1985 with the National
Medal of Science.
In 1999, Time Magazine chose Dr. DeBakey as one of the 100 Great
Americans of the 20th Century and honored him for his pioneering work
and innovation in cardiovascular surgery and the artificial heart.
Dr. DeBakey continues his pioneering research today. Working with
NASA engineers, he refined existing technology to create the DeBakey
ventricular assist device for patients with dying hearts. This device
is one tenth the size of current versions and restores the cardiac
output of a heart to normal function in order to relieve the patient's
failing heart and could eventually eliminate the need for heart
transplant in some patients. And, in fact, the technology that Dr.
DeBakey was able to develop for the ventricular assist device is very
similar to and helped NASA in developing the fuel pumps for the space
shuttle, which to this day the space shuttle fuel pumps on those
engines are able to move more fuel, more fluid more rapidly than any
other pump ever invented. And Dr. DeBakey's work was a key part of
that.
I have a particular soft part in my heart. As a member of the
Appropriations Committee, I do my best to avoid spending money. The
starting answer is no, unless it's medical or scientific research. And
when it comes to medical or scientific research, that's our Nation's
insurance policy and the investment that we make. And the research
that's done at the Texas Medical Center, other medical institutions
around the country and in scientific research and in the space program
is truly a part of our national insurance policy. And the research work
that Dr. DeBakey has done with NASA has truly led to saving lives and
improved technological spin-offs in many other areas as well.
In 1999, Dr. DeBakey was one of eight individuals chosen to
commemorate the United Nations' International Day for Tolerance and
received the prestigious U.N. Lifetime Achievement Award.
In 2000, Dr. DeBakey was recognized by the Library of Congress, which
designated him a Living Legend.
Throughout his many years of public service, Dr. DeBakey has been
awarded over 50 honorary degrees from colleges, universities and
medical schools worldwide, as well as numerous awards from educational
institutions, professional and civic organizations and governments
worldwide.
I want to again, Mr. Speaker, say thank you to my colleagues,
Representative Al Green and Representative Michael Burgess, for
bringing this bill to the House floor, and a special thank you to
Chairman Barney Frank for expediting its approval through the Financial
Services Committee.
I could not agree more with my friend, Al Green. There is no better
[[Page H10404]]
way to express the merit of this good man, that if the Congressional
Gold Medal did not exist, it truly would need to be invented for Dr.
DeBakey. With his extraordinary achievements, his contributions to
mankind, to improving the lives and health of not only the people of
the United States but of the world, I am proud to join my friend, Al
Green, in urging the House to support and pass H.R. 1154 to award the
Congressional Gold Medal to Dr. Michael Ellis DeBakey.
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased that we have been joined by the other lead
author of this bill, my colleague and good friend from Dallas, Dr.
Michael Burgess. And I would like, if I could, at this time to yield
time to Dr. Burgess.
Mr. BURGESS. Mr. Speaker, I want to come to the floor of the House
today to talk and honor the legacy that is that of Dr. Michael DeBakey,
the father of cardiovascular surgery, and to encourage my colleagues on
both sides of the aisle to vote in favor of H.R. 1154, the bill to
designate a Congressional Gold Medal for the famed Houston heart
surgeon.
This bill was introduced by my good friend from Texas, Representative
Al Green. And Mr. Speaker, we've heard in great detail the number of
accomplishments of this singular individual. But, Mr. Speaker, I felt
it was incumbent upon me, as one of the very few physicians in the
House of Representatives, to come to the floor and talk just a little
bit about how Dr. DeBakey forever changed the face of the practice of
medicine in this country.
As a fellow physician, Dr. DeBakey's work and medical advancements
are indeed legendary. His dedication to healing those around him came
not only from his talent as a physician, but his ongoing commitment to
medical education, the larger medical community, and indeed, the entire
profession, the practice of medicine.
His motto, as always, was ``Strive for nothing less than
excellence.'' This motto should be adopted by every one of us in this
House and indeed across the country.
His education and his entrepreneurial spirit made him worthy of the
Nation's highest expression of appreciation for distinguished
achievements and contributions.
Dr. DeBakey received his bachelor's and M.D. degree from Tulane
University down in New Orleans. While in medical school, Dr. DeBakey
invented what became known as the roller pump, later to become a major
component in the heart-lung machine used in open heart surgery. Think
of that, Mr. Speaker. He was in medical school. He was not yet an M.D.
and he devised a revolutionary concept for the engineering of a pump
that dealt with a roller mechanism, as opposed to the piston mechanism
that resulted in the destruction of red blood cells by the very
mechanism that was intended to pump those red blood cells. He had an
unusual knack for looking at things in a new light and developing new
ideas.
He completed his internship at Charity Hospital in New Orleans.
Charity Hospital. Think of that, Mr. Speaker. One of the venerable
institutions of medical education in this country; an institution that
was unfortunately lost to us just two short years ago to the ravages of
Hurricane Katrina. Charity Hospital has turned out a number of medical
icons of my generation and the generation before, now lost to us
forever.
But it was Dr. DeBakey at his residency in surgery or doing his
internship at Charity Hospital to then go on to his residency in
surgery at the University of Strasbourg, France and the University of
Heidelberg in Germany.
He volunteered for service in World War II and was subsequently named
director of the surgical consultants division of the United States
Surgeon General's Office. His work during that war led that office to
the development of the mobile army surgical hospital, which we now know
as a MASH unit. These units were the forerunners of our forward
surgical combat teams that have saved so many lives in the present
conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. Previous conflicts in Korea and
Vietnam certainly benefited from the mobile army surgical hospitals,
but those forward surgical teams, to be able to deliver the type of
care in the battlefield that those critically injured patients need,
many of us have traveled to Iraq and seen those hospitals at Ballad and
Imbue Sinai in Baghdad, the Baghdad ER. And it's the principles put
forward by Dr. DeBakey that are at work at this hour in those centers
where our men and women are fighting today.
He helped establish the specialized medical and surgical center
system for treating military personnel returning home from war,
subsequently known as the Veterans Administration medical center
system.
But it was at Methodist Hospital in Houston in the Texas Medical
Center represented so capably by my friends from Texas Mr. Culberson
and Mr. Green where Dr. DeBakey performed many of his groundbreaking
surgeries, including the first removal of a carotid artery blockage.
Mr. Speaker, the year was 1950. That's the year I was born. The first
coronary artery bypass graft in 1964, the first use of a ventricular
assist device to pump blood and to support a failing heart in 1966, and
then some of the first heart transplants performed in this country in
1968 and '69.
He developed a self-contained miniaturized left ventricular assist
device pump, again, to assist the diseased left ventricle and allow it
an opportunity to either heal, get the patient to surgery, or perhaps
provide stabilization leading up to a transplant. This is something
that is in use today, and indeed I saw it used on one of my family
members a number of years ago.
The techniques used to miniaturize the device's inner workings were
developed with engineers working with engineers right next door at the
nearby NASA program.
He served as an advisor to nearly every United States President for
the last 50 years. He traveled, in 1966 very famously to Russia to
consult on the surgery for Russian President Boris Yeltsin. And knowing
Dr. DeBakey, I have to suspect he did a good deal more than consult on
that surgery.
During his professional surgical career, he performed more than
60,000 cardiovascular procedures, trained thousands of surgeons who
practice around the world. His name is affixed to a number of
organizations, centers for learning, and projects devoted to medical
education and health education for the general public.
But think of this, Mr. Speaker. Dr. DeBakey also underwent an
operation that was named for him. Reading in the New York Times on the
way up here to Washington last December, I read a story about how Dr.
DeBakey had undergone the surgery that he himself had described many
years before. In fact, Dr. DeBakey admitted at the time, although he
knew he was quite ill, he never called his own doctor and he never
called 911.
Now, I'm quoting here. He said, ``if it becomes intense enough,
you're perfectly willing to accept cardiac arrest as a possible way of
getting rid of the pain.'' That's what he told the New York Times. You
just have to marvel at the pragmatism of that individual.
As previously noted by the other two speakers, he did help establish
the National Library of Medicine, which is now the world's largest and
most prestigious repository for medical archives. Indeed, I will
probably use the medline in the National Library of Medicine this
evening as I prepare for hearings on the Energy and Commerce Committee
tomorrow.
Mr. Speaker, as we talk in Congress about the need for improving the
practice of medicine, Dr. DeBakey was on the forefront of that, while
most of us in this body hadn't even started school yet. In fact, many
in this body were not even born yet.
These accomplishments have been honored before. In 1969, he received
the highest honor a United States citizen can receive, the Presidential
Medal of Freedom with Distinction. In 1976, his students founded the
Michael E. DeBakey International Surgical Society.
His contributions to medicine and his breakthrough surgeries and
innovative devices have completely transformed our view of the human
body and of our longevity and, indeed, of the planet.
{time} 1645
He has been designated a living legend by the Library of Congress,
and today we take another opportunity to honor a full and important
life by conferring on Dr. DeBakey the Congressional Gold Medal.
I want to thank my colleagues who joined me in cosponsoring H.R.
1154, introduced by Congressman Green and cosponsored by Congressman
Culberson.
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Mr. Speaker, imagine a simple country doctor from Louisville, Texas.
I got to sit on the phone last Friday with Al Green and sing Happy
Birthday to Dr. DeBakey on his 99th birthday. What an honor for me,
what an honor for America to be able to afford this individual the
rightful accolades that he so richly deserves.
Mr. AL GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume to just make a few closing comments, if I may.
Mr. Speaker, as was indicated by Dr. Burgess, who has worked
tirelessly, I might add, to help us get the necessary signatures to
bring this bill to the floor, as was indicated, Dr. DeBakey is a living
legend. But he is really more than that. He is a person who is loved by
many people. The people over at Baylor College of Medicine, the staff,
they have worked with us to help us get this piece of legislation
through the Congress.
I am honored to tell you, Mr. Speaker, that Mrs. DeBakey is a real
asset as well, and we don't want to overlook her.
He is a gentle spirit, a person who is warm, a person who exudes a
sense of confidence that is almost infectious. He is a person who is
not only a great citizen of the United States, a great humanitarian,
but a person who will be remembered throughout history for all that he
has done to help humankind.
Mr. Speaker, I will close with a poem, the author whose name is not
known to me, but it is most appropriate for Dr. DeBakey:
``While some measure their lives by days and years
Others by heartthrobs, passions, and tears
The surest measure under God's sun
Is what for others in your lifetime have you done.''
Dr. DeBakey, we thank you for what you have done, and we honor you
today for your great place in history that you will acquire.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, as a citizen of Houston, the
greatest city in the greatest state of the world's greatest country,
and as an original co-sponsor of the legislation, I rise proudly to
support H.R. 1154, which authorizes the awarding of the Congressional
Gold Medal to Michael Ellis DeBakey, M.D. The Congressional Gold Medal
is the highest expression of national appreciation for exceptional
service and for lifetime contributions. The medal has been awarded to
individuals from all walks of life. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and
Coretta Scott King, Pope John Paul II, the Navajo Code Talkers, Rosa
Parks, Frank Sinatra, and Elie Wiesel are among those who have been
honored. Dr. Michael DeBakey is exceptionally well qualified to join
the list of individuals who have received this most distinguished of
honors. As I would like to discuss briefly, Dr. DeBakey is one of the
greatest Americans of the 20th Century.
Dr. Michael Ellis DeBakey, internationally renowned physician, is
known foremost for his pioneering work as a cardiovascular surgeon.
Although he is widely regarded as ``the father of modern cardiovascular
surgery'' due to his path-breaking introduction of now common-place
procedures such as arterial bypass operations, artificial hearts, and
heart transplants, Dr. DeBakey's contributions in fields diverse as
military medicine, veterans affairs, and public health policy would
place him in the first rank of all the practitioners of the healing
arts who ever lived.
Born in 1908 in Lake Charles, Louisiana, Dr. DeBakey received his
undergraduate and medical degrees from Tulane University. After
receiving surgical training in Europe, Dr. DeBakey returned to the
United States and enlisted in the Army at the onset of World War II.
His service on the Surgeon General's staff during the war was pivotal;
studies conducted by Dr. DeBakey and his colleagues led to the creation
of ``mobile army surgical hospital'' (MASH) units that revolutionized
battlefield medicine would go on to save hundred of thousands of lives
in that and subsequent wars. For his wartime contributions to the
Nation, Lt. Col. DeBakey was awarded the Legion of Merit Award in 1945.
Following the war, Dr. DeBakey's expertise in the development of
specialized medical and surgical center-systems contributed greatly to
the design and formation of the Veterans Administration Medical Center
System. In addition, Dr. DeBakey played a leading role in persuading
the Congress to create and fund the National Library of Medicine, where
records of the Nation's medical research activities are stored for the
benefit of future researchers.
Dr. DeBakey's arrival in Houston at the Baylor College of Medicine
heralded the development of Baylor and Houston's Texas Medical Center
into world-renowned centers of medical excellence. As Baylor's Chairman
of Surgery and later President, Dr. DeBakey spearheaded efforts to
associate Baylor with the TMC's network of hospitals, secured Federal
funding for research, and recruited numerous highly-acclaimed faculty
and researchers to Baylor. During that time, Dr. DeBakey was also an
active and innovative clinician: introducing the Dacron artificial
arteries in 1953, the first successful coronary bypass in the early
1960s, and the first successful multi-organ transplant in 1968.
Dr. DeBakey's wisdom has been sought by virtually every U.S.
president since Harry S. Truman. He served on presidential commissions
during both the Kennedy and Johnson administrations, and thus provided
essential support in the passage of the landmark 1965 Medicare
legislation. Dr. DeBakey was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom
with Distinction in 1969 and the National Medal of Science by President
Ronald Reagan in 1987. He currently serves as Chancellor Emeritus of
the Baylor College of Medicine and continues to see patients, pursue
his research, serve on national advisory committees, and consult on
projects to help develop health care systems in the Middle and Far
East.
It is for these reasons and more, Madam Speaker, that I led the fight
throughout the 107th and 108th Congress to pass legislation naming the
Houston Veterans Hospital in my Congressional district after this great
American. This effort finally came to fruition in the 108th Congress
when the President signed into law Pub. L. 108-170.
The awarding of the Congressional Gold Medal to Dr. Michael Ellis
DeBakey is an appropriate act of recognition from a grateful nation to
a person who has devoted his life to improving life in America and
around the world. I strongly support H.R. 1154 and urge my colleagues
to join me in voting to award the Congressional Gold Medal to Michael
Ellis DeBakey, M.D., one of Houston's greatest sons and America's
greatest citizens.
Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of
H.R. 1154, a resolution to award a Congressional Gold Medal to Michael
Ellis DeBakey, M.D.
Dr. DeBakey has been a dedicated public servant, especially to
veterans.
The developments in organ transplant medicine developed by him have
enabled millions of people to lead happy and productive lives.
Early in life, he volunteered for military service during World War
II, joining the Surgeon General's staff and rising to the rank of
Colonel and Chief of the Surgical Consultants Division. His
recommendations led to advances in mobility military medicine and
earned him the Legion of Merit in 1945.
His work contributed to the ultimate development of the Veterans
Affairs Medical Center System and the establishment of the Commission
on Veterans Medical Problems of the National Research Council.
Mr. Speaker, I served as Chief Psychiatric Nurse at the V.A. Hospital
in Dallas and have 15 years of experience in hands-on patient care.
Medical follow-up after active service is extremely important for our
veterans.
Dr. DeBakey's intelligence, dedication and other talents were
directed early in his career to assist men and women serving in our
military.
For decades, his innovations in cardiovascular medicine
revolutionalized the field and have forever changed the way surgery is
conducted.
Many millions who will never know him have Dr. DeBakey to thank for
pioneering surgical techniques that have saved their lives.
Mr. Speaker, as a Texan, I have great pride for our own Dr. Michael
DeBakey. It is fitting for the U.S. House of Representatives to honor
him in this way.
I urge my colleagues to support this resolution.
Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of this
legislation to award Dr. Michael E. DeBakey with the Congressional Gold
Medal. I would also like to thank my friend and neighbor, Al Green, as
well as my fellow Texan, Dr. Burgess, for introducing this bill to
honor and celebrate the life and achievements of Dr. Michael DeBakey.
Over the course of his long life, Dr. DeBakey has been a tremendous
asset to his long-time home of Houston and has made a considerable
contribution to the advancement of medicine. His accomplishments are
numerous, both in traditional medicine and military medicine. Dr.
DeBakey volunteered for enlistment in World War II where he helped to
develop mobile army surgical hospitals. His commitment to military
medicine continued with his work to establish both the Veterans Affairs
Medical Center System and the establishment of the Commission on
Veterans Medical Problems of the National Research Council. In
recognition of his service to the U.S. Armed Forces and our country's
wounded soldiers and veterans, the VA Medical Center in Houston is
formally known as the Michael E. DeBakey Veterans Affairs Medical
Center.
[[Page H10406]]
Dr. DeBakey is a medical pioneer in the area of cardiac surgery,
which is his expertise. His career is highlighted by a number of
``firsts.'' While still a student, he invented a roller pump for blood
transfusions. He performed the first successful coronary bypass; he was
the first to successfully use a partial artificial heart; he supervised
the first successful multi-organ transplant and then led the way for
telemedicine with the first demonstration of open-heart surgery
broadcasted overseas by satellite.
Mr. Speaker, this list represents only a snapshot of Dr. DeBakey's
service. He also was the first president of Baylor College of Medicine
where he developed the fellowship and residency programs at his
namesake Department of Surgery. Today, Baylor is one of the jewels of
the Texas Medical Center, in large part due to Dr. DeBakey's
leadership, and has been the site of countless medical miracles for
patients from Texas and around the world. A true testament to Dr.
DeBakey's impact is the admiration he has earned from the Houston
community, more than 60,000 members of which count Dr. DeBakey as their
physician.
Internationally, Dr. DeBakey has been recognized and honored by well
over a dozen governments and even inducted into the Academy of Athens,
a society founded by Plato. His many awards include the U.S. Army
Legion of Merit and the Presidential Medal of Freedom awarded by
President Johnson and the National Medal of Science awarded by
President Reagan.
I can think of no physician better suited for the Congressional Gold
Medal, and I encourage my colleagues to join me in supporting this bill
to bestow that honor upon Dr. DeBakey.
Mr. CULBERSON. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. AL GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for
time, and I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from Texas (Mr. Al Green) that the House suspend the rules
and pass the bill, H.R. 1154.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the
rules were suspended and the bill was passed.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
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