Brian Barratt Boyes.
One of the very few Kiwi medics with an international reputation, Brian pioneered heart bypass surgery while resident at Greenlane Hospital in Auckland. Even the doctor who completed the world's first heart transplant, Christiaan Barnard, recognised Barratt Boyes as a world leader.
Responsible for saving countless lives, Brian Barratt Boyes is rightfully hailed as our premier physician hero.
An Kiwi boy through and through, Brian actually felt that Auckland's isolation made it possible for him to be such a pioneer in his field.
Quite how Brian missed being awarded a Nobel Prize for Medicine escapes me, but he is nonetheless rightly seen as one of our greatest Kiwis.
To find out more, try:
Independent, UK's obituary to a man on the other side of the world.
A bio from Heart Rhythm Society
Auckland University's obituary
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