In 1962, Thomas Kuhn coined the term "paradigm shift," arguing that human knowledge progresses through quantum-like leaps with smaller steps in between. The preparation for significant advancement typically does not occur through a coordinated effort by thought leaders. Instead, some visionaries gain insights into a process and can demonstrate the accuracy of their worldview. Often, enlightenment does not occur during the intellectual lifetime of the discoverers. Medicine has experienced numerous such paradigm shifts, including the compelling revision of Galen's concepts of the body. Notably, the scientific community of that time explained the new views by suggesting that the human body must have changed between the time of ancient Greece and modern Europe. The inception of heart surgery itself required profound changes in medicine's perspective on physiology. However, over the following 40 years, the field...