Benjamin Carson: Biography and Works

At the tender age of thirty-two, Benjamin Carson became the Director of Pediatric Neurosurgery at the Johns Hopkins Hospital. "In 1987, Carson made medical history with the first successful operation to separate a pair of Siamese twins…joined at the back of the head…Carson's other surgical innovations have included the first intra-uterine procedure to relieve pressure on the brain of a hydrocephalic fetal twin, and a hemispherectomy, in which an infant suffering from uncontrollable seizures has half of its brain removed. This stops the seizures and the remaining half of the brain actually compensates for the missing hemisphere" (Benjamin Carson, 2008, Academy of Achievement). Carson has given a 'normal' life to children facing seemingly insurmountable medical odds.

At the beginning of Carson's own life, many people were equally tempted to 'give up' on young Benjamin and dismiss any prospect for Benjamin to have a bright future: in 5th grade, Carson was at the bottom of his class and called a 'dummy' by his peers. He was the child of a single mother who never finished grade school. Yet he ultimately graduated from Yale University, with a degree in Psychology, and the University of Michigan School of Medicine. He credits his mother's discipline for his success: dismayed at her children's failing grades, she forced Carson and his brother Curtis to read and write compositions on two library books a week, limited the television time of her sons, and kept their attention focused on their schoolwork. By the end of the 5th grade, Carson was at the top of his class. Today, Carson also works as a motivational speaker as well as a doctor. Carson credits his mother as well as his gifted hands -- and God -- for his surprising achievements.

Works Cited

Benjamin Carson. (2008, June 14). Academy of Achievement. Retrieved November 16, 2009 at http://www.achievement.org/autodoc/page/car1bio-1