1 Daniel Hale Williams was an African-American surgeon, who performed the first successful open heart surgery in 1893. He also founded Provident Hospital in Chicago, the country's first hospital owned and run by African-Americans.
2 Daniel Hale Williams III was born on January 18, 1856, in Pennsylvania. Daniel began working as an apprentice for an excellent surgeon named Henry Palmer. Daniel worked as Dr. Palmer’s assistant for two years, learning the basics in medicine. In 1883, Daniel graduated with a medical degree (MD) from Chicago Medical College.
The First Black-Owned Interracial Hospital
3 When Daniel graduated college there were not many jobs for African-American doctors. Government hospitals did not allow black doctors to work for them and African-American people were not allowed to be treated in government hospitals either. Daniel believed there needed to be change. In 1891, Daniel opened the first black-owned, non-segregated hospital in America, Provident Hospital. Provident Hospital hired both white and black doctors and nurses and black and white patients were welcome. Provident Hospital became famous as the first interracial hospital in the country.
The First School for African-American Nurses
4 Provident Hospital provided training for African-American doctors and was the first hospital in the country with a nursing program for black women. Dr. Daniel trained African-American young women when no other training centers allowed them to study nursing.
The First Successful Open Heart Surgery
5 On July 9, 1893, a patient named James Cornish, who had been badly wounded by a knife, was taken to the Provident Hospital. The patient was in a lot of pain and could die if he was not operated on. At that time, there were no X-rays, blood transfusions, antibiotics, surgical prep-work, or tools of modern surgery. However, Dr. Daniel performed an operation to repair the man’s heart. The surgery had been performed before but this was “the first successful heart surgery” and a huge breakthrough in medical science. James Cornish went on to live for another twenty years thanks to Dr. Daniel.
6 In 1894, Dr. Daniel was appointed the chief surgeon of the Freedmen’s Hospital, the most respected position available to African-Americans at the time. Freedmen’s Hospital was famous for treating freed African-American slaves (freedmen and freedwomen). Sadly, the hospital was not performing well and many patients were dying. Dr. Daniel worked tirelessly at Freedmen’s Hospital to improve surgical procedures, he launched an ambulance service and provided opportunities for black nurses and doctors.
7 Throughout his life, Dr. Daniel worked hard to create acceptance in government hospitals and tried to make sure African–Americans were treated as well as white people. In 1895, he co-founded the National Medical Association for black medical practitioners, as they were not allowed in the American Medical Association because of the color of their skin. In 1913, Dr. Daniel became the first African-American to join the American College of Surgeons. He was also awarded an honorary degree from Howard University School of Medicine. Dr. Daniel received many honors during his life and after he died, Dr. Daniel left donations to many organizations which helped give opportunities for more black students to study medicine.
8 Even today, a "code blue" at the Howard University Hospital emergency room is called a "Dr. Dan" in honor of his contributions to the black medical community.