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Ann Thorac Surg 1996;62:1565
© 1996 The Society of Thoracic Surgeons

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Correspondence

Henry Swan II, MD

Historian, The Society of Thoracic Surgeons 2005 Franklin St, Suite 380 Denver, CO 80205

To the Editor:

On July 13, 1996, Henry Swan II, MD (Fig 1) passed away and another of our dwindling number of cardiac surgical pioneers has realized his place in history, leaving an enormous legacy for those who follow. Doctor Swan belonged to that group of surgical investigators that opened the doors to the future of cardiac surgery and boldly sailed into uncharted waters, establishing principles of conduct of open heart surgery that we take for granted today.

View larger version (187K): [in this window] [in a new window]   Fig 1. . Henry Swan II, MD.

After his military stint, he returned to Colorado and the University of Colorado School of Medicine, where he soon became the first full-time professor of the Department of Surgery. He established the Halstead Laboratory for surgical research. His pioneering investigations and clinical application of hypothermia in cardiac surgery helped to establish the University of Colorado Medical School as one of the foremost centers for cardiac surgery and attracted visitors from all parts of the world. He was the first to successfully use an open approach to the aortic and pulmonary valves. He published the first large series of open repair of atrial septal defect and performed one of the first successful aortic replacements for aneurysm.

In addition to his many accomplishments in the medical field, like so many of his particular genre, he was an enthusiast and expert in any field that piqued his interest. He had an incredible knowledge of wine, was an avid outdoorsman with expertise in fishing and hunting, and had a reputation non pareil in small plane aviation.

I am particularly indebted to Henry Swan, not only for being my professor, mentor, and advisor, but also for serving as a splendid example of one who could always stimulate curiosity and enthusiasm for exploring the unknown. In addition, he was a close and true friend.

Although he was not a member of The Society of Thoracic Surgeons, all of our members owe him and his generation an enormous debt of gratitude for being true pioneers and having the courage and foresight to develop our specialty to the level of excellence that we enjoy today.

Doctor Swan is survived by his wife, Geri; a son, Henry III; two daughters, Edith Swan and Gretchen Bering; five grandchildren; and one great-grandchild.

He will be sorely missed by his colleagues, students, and friends both here and abroad.

This Article Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Personal Folders Download to citation manager Author home page(s): W. Gerald Rainer Permission Requests Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Rainer, W. G. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Rainer, W. G.