Leo Eloesser: an American cardiothoracic surgeon in China

We present a brief historical vignette about one of the pioneer cardiothoracic surgeons, Leo Eloesser, from our personal recollections and descriptions of part of his long life that was spent in China. Although this article deals mainly with his time in China during his close association with the senior author, Dr Eloesser is certainly one of the most extraordinary surgeons of the 20th century.