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A lexis C arrel: the good, the bad, the ugly
Author(s) -
Benveniste Glen L.
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
anz journal of surgery
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.426
H-Index - 70
eISSN - 1445-2197
pISSN - 1445-1433
DOI - 10.1111/ans.12167
Subject(s) - medicine , eugenics , environmental ethics , classics , law , philosophy , history , political science
Background It is precisely 100 years since the N obel P rize for P hysiology or M edicine was awarded to the F rench surgeon A lexis C arrel, the second and to date one of only five surgeons to have received this most prestigious award. In spite of his outstanding contributions to the fields of cardiovascular and transplant surgery, the anniversary of his N obel P rize award is likely to pass unnoticed and unacknowledged because of his outspoken and well‐publicized beliefs and philosophies. Method A review was carried out of the very many biographical papers of Carrel's work and publications. Results Carrel's work did indeed form the basis of modern cardio‐vascular and transplant surgery. Conclusion In spite of deserving the Nobel prize for his scientific work, Carrel's views on eugenics were so abhorrent that he is unlikely to ever receive the accolades he deserves.