England's Royal College of Surgeons Honors Denton A. Cooley, M.D.
HOUSTON (February 16, 2005) – On February 9, the Royal College of Surgeons dedicated its renewed museum which contains the collection of artifacts made in the 19th century by John Hunter, the renowned anatomist and surgeon. The legendary museum, which has existed for the past two centuries, was damaged during bombing raids of World War II. The renovations and enlargement at a cost of several million dollars included the advances which were made in surgical science during the 20th century with a strong emphasis upon cardiovascular disease. The Cardiac section of the expanded museum was named in honor of Dr. Cooley "who embodies the Hunterian qualities of innovation and excellence…and whose team at the Texas Heart Institute is internationally acclaimed." Dr. Cooley donated a second generation artificial heart which he used in 1981 as a bridge to cardiac transplantation. The device is prominently displayed in the exhibit. The first such device ever implanted in a human was used by Dr. Cooley in 1969 and now resides in the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC.
The dedication ceremony was attended by Her Royal Highness Princess Anne, who recalled with fondness her visit to the Texas Medical Center and the Heart Institute in 1984. She was also the honored guest at the international symposium of the Cooley Surgical Society which was held later that year in London.
As a young surgeon, Dr. Cooley received further postgraduate training in London and served as Senior Surgical Registrar at the Royal Brompton Hospital from 1950 to 1951 on the service of Mr. Russell Brock (later Lord Brock) and his colleague, Mr. Oswald Tubbs. In 1988, Dr. Cooley received Honorary Fellowship in the Royal College of Surgeons (England), a distinction which he values highly.
The museum project was headed by Sir Terence English, a well respected cardiac surgeon and former president of the College and Lord Colin Moynihan, a Board Member of the College. Dr. Cooley and his wife attended a dinner in their honor at the House of Lords.
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World-renowned cardiovascular surgeon Denton A. Cooley, MD, founded the Texas Heart Institute in 1962 for the study and treatment of diseases of the heart and blood vessels. Together with the Institute's clinical partner, St. Luke's Episcopal Hospital, for the past 14 years it has been ranked among the nation's top ten heart centers in an annual survey published by U.S. News & World Report. For more information about the Institute, please visit www.texasheartinstitute.org.
St. Luke's was founded in 1954 by the Episcopal Diocese of Texas. St. Luke's is home to the world-renowned Texas Heart Institute, founded in 1962. In 2001, St. Luke's earned the Magnet designation, the highest honor in patient care. It is the first hospital in Texas and the Southwest to be so honored. For more information about the hospital, please visit www.stlukestexas.com
