Huey P. Long's Last Operation: When Medicine and Politics Don't Mix

Ochsner has a rich historical heritage in the Gulf South, Louisiana, and New Orleans. It is therefore not surprising that connections exist between Ochsner and one of the most important events in Louisiana history in the 20th century. This article examines the medical care Huey P. Long received after a gunshot wound in 1935 and the circumstances that may have ultimately led to his demise, as well as the important questions of whether the care he received was consistent with standards of the time and whether the best available surgical team participated in his care. Politics and medicine were intertwined in this incident, and the Ochsner connections are worth examination in this context.