William B. Kouwenhoven
William B. Kouwenhoven | |
|---|---|
| Born | 3 January 1886 Brooklyn, New York, U.S. |
| Died | 10 November 1975 (aged 89) Baltimore, Maryland, U.S. |
| Alma mater | Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn |
| Known for | Inventing the Electric Cardiac Defibrillator |
| Awards | IEEE Edison Medal (1961) Lasker-DeBakey Award - Clinical Medical Research (1973) |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Electrical Engineering |
| Institutions | Johns Hopkins University |
William Bennet Kouwenhoven (13 January 1886 – 10 November 1975), also known as the "Father of Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation," is famous for his contributions to the development of the closed-chest cardiac massage and his invention of the cardiac defibrillator. After obtaining his doctorate degree in engineering from the Karlsruhe Technische Hochschule in Germany, Kouwenhoven began his career as the dean at the Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. Kouwenhoven focused his research mainly on improving and saving lives of patients through the application of electricity. With the help and cooperation of the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine's Department of Surgery and an Edison Electric Institute grant, Kouwenhoven was able to develop a closed-chest defibrillator. For his contributions to the field of medical science, he became the first ever recipient of an honorary degree conferred by the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. Two years before his death, Kouwenhoven was also awarded the Albert Lasker Award for Clinical Medical Research.