Dr. James T. Goodrich, Neurosurgeon
Dr. James T. Goodrich, 73, a renowned pediatric neurosurgeon who successfully operated on conjoined twins, passed away from Covid19 on March 30, 2020.
Goodrich was the world’s leading expert on separating such twins, a procedure called craniopagus surgery. He traveled the world lending his expertise to more than 100 cases of conjoined twins. Not every case he examined resulted in surgeries; some were too complex.
Just 1 in 2.5 million live births results in twins born conjoined at the head. Before the mid-1980s, it was accepted medical practice to sacrifice one child on the operating table to save the life of the other. “Parents had to choose which baby would live,” he said at the time.
Many times, both babies died during surgery. Goodrich thought that was unacceptable and ded...