Description
Reference code
Name and location of repository
Level of description
Collection
Title
Thomas B. Ferguson Papers
Date(s)
Extent
1.6 cubic feet (4 boxes)
Name of creator
Biographical history
Thomas B. Ferguson was a professor emeritus of cardiothoracic surgery at Washington University School of Medicine. Ferguson was a pioneer in heart surgery, playing an important role in bringing the first heart-lung machine to St. Louis in the late 1950s. In 1958, he and his colleagues performed Washington University's first open-heart surgery with the aid of the new heart-lung pump. Ferguson earned his medical degree from Duke University and continued his surgical training there before coming to Barnes Hospital and Washington University in 1951. He trained in cardiothoracic surgery, a relatively new specialty at the time, under Evarts Graham.
Ferguson then spent four years in private practice in Florida in the early 1960s but returned to Washington University, where he stayed for the remainder of his long and distinguished career. He was a founding member of the Society of Thoracic Surgeons and is one of a small number of surgeons to have served as president of that organization as well as the American Association for Thoracic Surgery. In 2009, Ferguson received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Association for Thoracic Surgery. He passed away on May 26, 2013 at the age of 90.
Scope and content
This collection consists of seven series, containing correspondence and other related materials from throughout his career, including his terms as the president of the American Association of Thoracic Surgery and editor of the Annals of Thoracic Surgery.
System of arrangement
Conditions governing access
The collection is open and accessible for research.
Technical access
Conditions governing reproduction
Users of the collection should read and abide by the Rights and Permissions guidelines at the Bernard Becker Medical Library Archives.
Users of the collection who wish to cite items from this collection, in whole or in part, in any form of publication must request, sign, and return a Statement of Use form to the Archives.
For detailed information regarding use of this collection, contact the Archives and Rare Book Department of the Becker Library (arb@wusm.wustl.edu).
Preferred Citation:
Item description, Reference Code, Bernard Becker Medical Library Archives, Washington University in St. Louis.
Languages of the material
- English
Scripts of the material
- Latin
Language and script notes
Finding aids
Custodial history
Immediate source of acquisition
Appraisal, destruction and scheduling information
Accruals
Existence and location of originals
Existence and location of copies
Related archival materials
Related descriptions
Specialized notes
Alternative identifier(s)
Rules or conventions
"Describing Archives: A Content Standard, Second Edition (DACS), 2013."
Sources used
Archivist's note
© Copyright 2019 Bernard Becker Medical Library Archives. All rights reserved.