[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 17]
[House]
[Pages 24371-24376]
[From the U.S. 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.

[[Page 24372]]

       (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 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

[[Page 24373]]

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 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

[[Page 24374]]

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 
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

[[Page 24375]]

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.
  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

[[Page 24376]]

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.
  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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