Daniel Hale Williams ( January 18 , 1856 -- August 4 , 1931 ) was an African-American general surgeon who , in 1893 , performed the second documented successful pericardium surgery to repair a wound .
Daniel Hale Williams ( January 18 , 1856 -- August 4 , 1931 ) was an African-American general surgeon . In 1893 he was the second surgeon to successfully repair a heart wound .