Famous doctors: Benjamin S Carson

Benjamin Carson is an American neurosurgeon who achieved a number of surgical firsts. Find out how he went from believing he was the ‘class dummy’ to receiving over 20 honorary doctorate degrees.

Who is he?

Carson was born in inner city Detroit, Michigan in the US in 1951. His mother had only a third grade education (so nothing beyond primary school age) and after a difficult divorce began working as a domestic servant. The family had little money, yet Carson’s mother had high expectations for both her sons and made plans for their education.

The 'class dummy'?

In 1960 at the age of nine, Carson found himself at the bottom of his class at school. He was picked on by classmates, ignored by teachers and soon began to see himself as the “class dummy”. But two simple things allowed him to make a dramatic change.

First, he was given glasses, which meant he could read the instructions his teacher wrote on the board and the text books he was given in class. Second, his mother encouraged her sons to read two books a week and write a report on them for her. What they didn’t know was that with her third-grade education, she was unable to read the reports they gave her but the activity helped them to improve their grades.

From psychology to neurosurgery

Soon enough Carson worked his way to becoming the head of his class and was able to overcome his belief that he was the “class dummy”. He graduated from high school with honors and won a scholarship to attend Yale University where he earned a degree in Psychology. From there he went to the University of Michigan Medical School where his interest shifted from psychology to neurosurgery.

After graduating from medical school Carson began working at the Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland and it was here we became the youngest ever physician to head a major department. At age 33, Carson became the hospital's Director of Paediatric Neurosurgery.

A surgical first

In 1987, Carson made medical history with an operation to separate a pair of conjoined twins. The Binder twins were joined at the back of the head, meaning they were occipital craniopagus twins. Previous operations of this type had failed, killing both twins or only saving one. After 28 hours of surgery with a staff of seventy on hand, Carson's operation was successful, with both twins surviving the surgery.

Today, Carson still works at John Hopkins Hospital in its children’s centre where he operates on more than 300 children every year. He is sought out around the world for his expertise in separating conjoined twins and conducting brain surgery to control seizures, especially with the use of cerebral hemispherectomies, in which half of the brain is removed to stop intractable seizures.

He has achieved other firsts in his surgical career and in 2004 was also appointed by President George Bush to his Council on Bioethics.

Top quotes

“Successful people don’t have fewer problems. They have determined that nothing will stop them going forward.”

"Knowledge is the key that unlocks all the doors. You can be green-skinned with yellow polka dots and come from Mars, but if you have knowledge that people need, instead of beating you, they'll beat a path to your door."

“Every hurdle we jump strengthens us and prepares us for the next one.”

Related links

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