IV 

110TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. RES. 1416 

Honoring Dr. Michael DeBakey for his lifetime of accomplishments. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

SEPTEMBER 8, 2008 

Mr. BOUSTANY submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 

Committee on Energy and Commerce 

RESOLUTION 

Honoring Dr. Michael DeBakey for his lifetime of 

accomplishments. 

Whereas Dr. Michael DeBakey, a pioneering heart surgeon, 

innovator, and educator, was born on September 7, 1908, 

and passed away on July 11, 2008, at the age of 99; 

Whereas Michael DeBakey was born and raised in Lake 

Charles, Louisiana, as the eldest of 5 children to Lebanese immigrants and graduated as Valedictorian from 

Lake Charles High School in 1926; 

Whereas Michael DeBakey received his bachelor’s of science 

and medical degrees from Tulane University in New Orleans, Louisiana, where he remained until the completion 

of his internship and residency in surgery at Charity 

Hospital; 


hsrobinson on PROD1PC76 with BILLS
2 

•HRES 1416 IH 

Whereas in 1932, as a student at Tulane Medical School, Michael DeBakey invented the roller pump, which became 

the major component of the heart-lung machine used in 

the first open heart surgery; 

Whereas during World War II, Michael DeBakey served in 

the Army and was awarded the Legion of Merit for his 

help in developing mobile army surgical hospitals, called 

MASH units, and specialized treatment centers for returning veterans while working as the director of the Office of the Surgeon General in Europe; 

Whereas Michael DeBakey moved to Houston, Texas, in 

1948, where he joined the Baylor University College of 

Medicine, to which he was appointed president in 1969, 

when he helped the school create its own identity after 

the university separated from its school of medicine; 

Whereas the Baylor College of Medicine currently accepts approximately 1,340 students per year; 

Whereas in 1949, Michael DeBakey led a movement to help 

establish the National Library of Medicine and wrote 

over 1,000 medical reports, papers, chapters, and books 

on surgery, medicine and related topics, including ‘‘The 

Living Heart’’ and ‘‘The Living Diet’’; 

Whereas in the mid-1950s, Michael DeBakey was the first 

person to perform the replacement of arterial aneurysms 

and obstructive lesions, as well as later introducing bypass pumps and connections to replace segments of diseased arteries; 

Whereas in 1960, Michael DeBakey became a leading pioneer 

in the creation of the artificial heart used to assist patients awaiting transplants, and in 1966 he was the first 


hsrobinson on PROD1PC76 with BILLS
3 

•HRES 1416 IH 

to successfully use the left ventricular bypass pump in a 

partially artificial heart; 

Whereas Michael DeBakey was appointed to chairman of the 

President’s Commission on Heart Disease, Cancer, and 

Stroke in 1964, during President Lyndon B. Johnson’s 

administration; 

Whereas Michael DeBakey was presented with the Medal of 

Freedom with Distinction in 1969 by President Johnson 

and later awarded the National Medicine of Science in 

1987; 

Whereas Michael DeBakey was recognized with Lifetime 

Achievement Awards from the Foundation for Biomedical 

Research in 1991 and the United Nations in 1999; 

Whereas in 1996, Michael DeBakey was inducted into the 

Health Care Hall of Fame, and in 2000 he was cited as 

a Living Legend by the Library of Congress; 

Whereas Michael DeBakey was the first foreign physician to 

be named an honorary member of the Russian Academy 

of Science; 

Whereas Michael DeBakey received the Commercial Invention 

of the Year award in 2002 for the invention of the 

MicroMed DeBakey VAD, in collaboration with the National Aeronautical and Space Administration, which was 

first implanted in patients in Germany and Austria in 

1998, and later in American patients in 2000; 

Whereas Michael DeBakey performed over 60,000 heart surgeries during his 70-year career on a range of patients 

including, American Presidents John F. Kennedy, Lyndon Baines Johnson, and Richard Nixon, as well as the 

Duke of Windsor, the Shah of Iran, King Hussein of JorVerDate Aug 31 2005 21:42 Sep 09, 2008 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR1416.IH HR1416

hsrobinson on PROD1PC76 with BILLS
4 

•HRES 1416 IH 

dan, Turkish President Turgut Ozal, and Nicaraguan 

leader Violetta Chamorro; 

Whereas over his lifetime, Michael DeBakey helped create 

more than 70 surgical instruments, including new blood 

transfusion needles, new suture scissors, and a new colostomy clamp; 

Whereas on April 23, 2008, President George W. Bush 

awarded Michael DeBakey, the chancellor emeritus of 

Baylor College of Medicine, the Congressional Gold 

Medal, Congress’ highest civilian honor; 

Whereas Michael DeBakey was buried with military honors at 

Arlington National Cemetery; 

Whereas Michael DeBakey devoted his life to medical education, inspiring generations of healthcare providers, 

teachers, and Louisianans to achieve greatness; and 

Whereas with the death of Michael DeBakey on July 11, 

2008, in Houston, Texas, the United States lost a prolific 

and premier surgeon and teacher: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the House of Representatives honors 

2 Dr. Michael DeBakey for his lifetime of accomplishments 

3 and recognizes Dr. DeBakey’s immeasurable contributions 

4 to medicine, education, and all of humanity. 

Æ 


hsrobinson on PROD1PC76 with BILLS