[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 102 (Thursday, June 19, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1280]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  SEPTEMBER 13TH--DR. BERNARD LOWN DAY

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                           HON. BARNEY FRANK

                            of massachusetts

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, June 19, 2008

  Mr. FRANK of Massachusetts. Madam Speaker, I am very pleased to join 
with my colleague, the Senior Senator from Massachusetts (Mr. Kennedy), 
in hailing the proclamation of September 13th, 2008 as Dr. Bernard Lown 
Day.
  In fact Madam Speaker, it would be a more accurate representation of 
the dimensions of Dr. Lown's great career if we were to proclaim 
several Dr. Bernard Lown Days. He is a man who has made numerous 
extremely valuable contributions to humanity in a number of fields, 
because he combines intellectual ability of the first order, a deep 
commitment to improving the quality of life of his coinhabitants of the 
planet, a capacity to translate his unsurpassed understanding of the 
actual functioning of the human heart into treatments and instruments 
that have significantly advanced the fight against heart diseases, and 
finally, a characteristic not often joined to some of those I have just 
listed, an understanding of the political process and how to move it.
  In his professional life as a cardiologist, Dr. Lown invented the 
defibrillator and the cardioverter, and he was the first to use the 
drug lidocaine. In these innovations, in his own practice of over 50 
years, and the knowledge he's imparted to countless numbers of 
younger--and by now not so young--other doctors, Dr. Lown has put all 
of us in his debt for his contributions to our health.
  In addition, he has been a leader in international cooperation in the 
medical field, and in humanitarian work in general, recognizing early 
on that the fight against disease and poor health must know no 
artificial political boundaries.
  Finally, he has been a leader in the effort to avert nuclear disaster 
and to promote a humane and sensible approach to international 
conflict. In recognition of these latter activities, Dr. Lown was a 
Nobel Peace Prize Laureate in 1985 for his work in co-founding the 
International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War and the work 
he had done--and of course continues to do--opposing the proliferation 
of nuclear weapons and promoting world peace.
  It is sometimes said that people who try to do too many different 
things can diminish their ability to do any one thing. Bernard Lown's 
life is an example of exactly the opposite: the many areas of important 
human activity in which he has excelled have not detracted from each 
other but rather have reinforced each other, contributing to a life's 
work that has been a model of how one takes his very considerable 
talents and puts them at the service of others.
  Senator Kennedy and I are delighted to have been given the privilege 
of representing Dr. Lown in the Congress of the United States and we 
are very proud to join here today in observing September 13th as Dr. 
Bernard Lown Day.

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