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Robert Jarvik and the First Artificial Heart (Unlocking the Secrets of Science)
Robert Jarvik and the First Artificial Heart - Unlocking the Secrets of Science Author:John Bankston The first patients to receive transplanted and artificial organs died, often after long periods of suffering. Despite these setbacks, the promise of saving a patient's life from an implanted organ was compelling enough to drive doctors and scientists to pursue transplants and artificial organs throughout the 20th century. Eventually, a number of... more » medical pioneers succeeded in transplanting organs, including the heart. Man-made hearts have been less successful. This is the story of one man who has tried to overcome those odds. He is the son of a prominent surgeon and only became interested in medicine when heart disease nearly killed his father. Rejected by over a dozen medical schools, he left the United States to study in Italy and then worked in a New York medical supply house. His opportunity to be on the forefront of artificial heart development began when he was hired as a lab assistant earning just 100 dollars a week. He dreamed of creating an artificial heart. He hoped that someday a man-made heart could save the lives of people like his father. His name is Robert Jarvik and this is his story.« less