{
  "abstract": "When Archives began 100 years ago, it is remarkable to think that there simply was no surgical treatment for congenital heart disease. Most conditions were untreatable (even digoxin did not become available until the 1930s), and all major types of lesions were regarded as lethal. The survivors were either the chronically cyanosed ‘blue babies’ who were lucky enough to have a naturally balanced circulation or the Eisenmenger complex, where the intracardiac shunts caused irreversible pulmonary hypertension. Operating on the heart was thought to be madness—Theodor Billroth was one of the leading general surgeons of his era and stated in 1910 that ‘Any surgeon who wishes to preserve the respect of his colleagues would never attempt to operate on the heart’.",
  "authors": [
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Evelina Children's and Royal Brompton Hospitals, London, UK",
        "King's College London, London, UK"
      ],
      "name": "David J Barron"
    }
  ],
  "title": "History of cardiac surgery for congenital heart disease in the UK",
  "uid": "f4c819ce-af43-5671-af7d-94c1dec7c769"
}