Did You Know?
St. Louis Children's Hospital and Washington University School of Medicine have a history of groundbreaking medical discoveries through research:
- Between 1915-1929. Dr. Vilray Blair - known as the father of plastic surgery in America and the first division chief of plastic and reconstructive surgery at Washington University School of Medicine - perfected several important methods for correction of cleft palate and cleft lip.
- In 1922, the first insulin treatment for a child with diabetes in the United States took place. The insulin was prepared in the Washington University School of Medicine biochemistry lab of Philip Shaffer.
- In 1927, James Barrett Brown, M.D., performed the first homograft on a child, resulting in the development of modern care for burns for children. Dr. Brown educated many leaders in the field of plastic surgery and earned numerous honors for his accomplishments.
- In 1929, Alexis P. Hartman, M.D. developed the first practical treatment, lactated Ringer's solution, for infants suffering from severe diarrhea and dehydration.
- In 1974, the first pediatric dialysis unit in the Midwest was established at the hospital.
- In 1990, the first freestanding pediatric lung transplant program in the United States was established at St. Louis Children’s Hospital.
- In 2010, the Washington University School of Medicine department of pediatrics marked its 100th anniversary. Graduates of the program have included a Nobel Prize winner and one of the founders of the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund and the World Health Organization.