J. Willis Hurst

John Willis Hurst (October 21, 1920 – October 1, 2011) was an American physician who served as the cardiologist of former U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson.^[1] He was the editor of Hurst's the Heart, one of the most widely used medical textbooks in the world.^[1] He also served as a former president of the American Heart Association.^[2]

J. Willis Hurst
Born	(1920-10-21)October 21, 1920 Cooper, Kentucky, US
Died	October 1, 2011(2011-10-01) (aged 90) Atlanta, Georgia, US
Alma mater	West Georgia College University of Georgia Medical College of Georgia
Occupation	Cardiologist
Spouse	Nelie Hurst ​ (m. 1942)​

Throughout his career, Hurst was recognized as a leader in cardiology.^[3]

Early life and education

John Willis Hurst was the only child of John Hurst and Verna Bell Hurst.^[4] He was born in Cooper, Kentucky, a community near Monticello, Kentucky, in Wayne County, Kentucky, on October 21, 1920.^[5][1] In Cooper, Hurst's father owned and operated a general store.^[6]

Eleven months after he was born, Hurst's family moved to Carrollton, Georgia.^[4] In Carrollton, Hurst's father served as the principal of a small, local school.^[4] During this time, Hurst's family lived in dormitory style housing on the school's grounds with several other teachers, including his aunt.^[7] In 1932, Hurst's father quit teaching in order to assist with the development of the Carrollton Federal Savings and Loan Association.^[6] At this time, the family moved to a single family home on Cefar Street.^[6]

Hurst graduated from Carrollton High School in 1937.^[8] He then enrolled at West Georgia College in Carrollton.^[4] At West Georgia College he met his future wife Nelie Wiley.^[9] After two years, Hurst transferred to the University of Georgia.^[4] There, he obtained a Bachelor of Science in zoology and a Bachelor of Science in chemistry.^[4]

In 1941, Hurst began his studies at the Medical College of Georgia.^[4] He graduated first in his class in 1944.^[4] He then began his internship and residency at the University Hospital in Augusta, Georgia.^[1]

Career

In 1946, after completing his residency, Hurst was drafted into the army and was stationed at Fitzsimons General Hospital near Denver, Colorado.^[10] During this time he obtained the rank of captain.^[1] His tour of duty in Denver was cut short, however, as Hurst was allowed to return home following the news of an automobile accident that killed his mother-in-law and severely injured his sister-in-law.^[9]

Then, in 1947 Hurst began working as a fellow at Massachusetts General Hospital.^[1] There he met Dr. Paul Dudley White, the Father of American cardiology, who became one of Hurst's most influential mentors.^[4][6] Meeting White prompted Hurst to commit to specializing in cardiology.^[9]

After completing his fellowship in Massachusetts, Hurst returned to Georgia in 1949 and briefly established a private practice in Atlanta.^[4] Then, in 1950, he accepted a job offer at Emory University.^[4]

In 1954, Hurst was drafted for the second time.^[4] He was assigned to the Bethesda Naval Hospital, where he was appointed Chief of Cardiology.^[1] On July 2, 1955, Lyndon B. Johnson, then majority leader of the senate, suffered a heart attack.^[4] It was during this incident that Hurst took on the role of Johnson's personal cardiologist.^[4] He continued to serve as Johnson's cardiologist until Johnson's death in 1973.^[4] Hurst even traveled with Johnson to 15 countries when Johnson served as the vice president during the Kennedy administration.^[1] Hurst declined the offer to serve as White House Physician during Johnson's presidency.^[1]

Hurst was honorably discharged from the military in 1955 and returned to Emory University.^[4] There, he resumed teaching and also practiced consultative cardiology.^[4] In 1957, Hurst was named the Chairman of the Department of Medicine at Emory, a position he held until 1986.^[4] Even after stepping down from the role of chairman, Hurst continued to teach at Emory.^[4] In the early 1960s, Hurst assisted with the creation of both the continuing medical education program in cardiology at Emory and the Emory Clinic.^[1] Then, in 1991, Hurst was named as a consultant to Emory's Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine.^[4] He continued in this role until 2007.^[4] During his time at Emory, Hurst taught more than 5,000 residents and 2,500 residents and fellows.^[11]

Hurst served a term as the president of the American Heart Association and a term as the president of the Association of Professors of Medicine.^[12] He was also a member of the National Heart, Lung and Blood Council.^[12] He also served as Chairman for the Subspecialty Board of Cardiovascular Disease.^[13]

Publications

Throughout his career, Hurst edited over 60 books and published over 350 scientific articles.^[4] His works include a children's book and several novels.^[12]

Selected bibliography

• Hurst, J. Willis; Woodson, Grattan C. (1952). Atlas of spatial vector electrocardiography. New York: Blakiston.
• Hurst's The Heart (first published 1966, currently in its fourteenth edition)
• Hurst, J. Willis (1970). Four hats: on teaching medicine and other essays. Chicago. ISBN 978-0815147831.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
• Hurst, J. Willis, ed. (1983). Medicine, for the practicing physician. Boston: Butterworths. ISBN 9780409950311. (first published 1983, currently in its fourth edition)
• Hurst, J. Willis (1992). The bench and me: teaching and learning medicine. New York: Igaku-Shoin. ISBN 9780896402232.
• Hurst, J. Willis; Alpert, Joseph S. (1994). Diagnostic atlas of the heart. New York: Raven Press. ISBN 978-0781700580.
• Hurst, J. Willis (1995). Cardiac puzzles. London: Mosby-Wolfe. ISBN 9780723424697.
• Hurst, J. Willis (1997). The quest for excellence: the history of the Department of Medicine at Emory University School of Medicine, 1834-1986. Atlanta, GA: Scholars Press. ISBN 0788503944.
• Hurst, J. Willis (1999). The heart: the kids' question and answer book. New York: McGraw-Hill. ISBN 9780070318298.
• Hurst, Philip W.; Hurst, J. Willis (2000). Prescription for Greed. Frederic C. Beil. ISBN 9781929490042.
• Chest Pain (2001, co-edited with Douglas C. Morris, M.D.)
• Tarnished (2005, cowritten with his son Philip W. Hurst)
• The Last Leaf has Fallen (2007)
• Short, Short Stories and Random Thoughts (2009)
• The Bald-Headed Man with Long Gray Hair: A Short Story (2010)

Honors and awards

• Lamartine Hardman Cup (1968) - Medical Association of Georgia^[14]
• Master Teacher Award (1970, 1974)- American College of Cardiology^[13]
• Gifted Teacher Award (1974)- American College of Cardiology^[13]
• Gold Heart Award (1974) - American Heart Association^[13]
• Herrick Award (1980)- American Heart Association^[13]
• Distinguished Teacher Award (1985) - American College of Physicians^[15]
• Evangeline Papageorge Teaching Award (1995) - Emory University^[13]

Personal life

On December 20, 1942, John Willis Hurst married Nelie Wiley Hurst.^[16] Together, they had three sons: John W. Hurst Jr., J. Stephen Hurst, and Philip W. Hurst.^[1] Nelie died on April 26, 2004.^[16]

John W. Hurst Jr. followed in his father's footsteps and currently works as a cardiologist in Atlanta, GA.^[17]