African American Hero: Dr. Daniel Williams

Daniel Hale Williams (January 18, 1856 - August 4, 1931) was the first African-American heart surgeon.[1] He was known as one of the most skilled American surgeons of his era.[citation needed] Williams is known today for performing an early surgery on the pericardium, repairing a knife wound with the use of sutures. He performed this surgery at Provident Hospital,[2] Chicago, on July 10, 1893, a hospital which he founded, and one of the few hospitals that welcomed African Americans. He is sometimes credited as the first surgeon to perform a fully successful open heart surgery. Others had performed similar procedures, after which patients sometimes recovered, but did not survive long-term