Jean Emily Henley
Encyclopedia
Jean Emily Henley was an anesthesiologist
.
She was the only child of Eugene Henry and Helen Esther Heller (maiden name: Goodman), who emigrated from Hungary and Germany respectively into the United States. The father changed the name into Henley while she was a child. Both parents practiced lay psychotherapy and later obtained PhDs.
After graduation from high school, she obtained her BA
degree at Vassar College
and Barnard College
and went from March 1930 – 1932 to Paris
in order to study sculpture. In New York she studied medicine starting 1936 and graduated 1940 at Columbia University College of Physicians & Surgeons
. She started a residency in internal medicine in San Francisco, then at New York Hospital
and completed her training at Peter Bent Brigham Hospital. In 1944 she voluntarily joined the army and became a captain in those 27 months. On March 1, 1947 she began her residency at Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center
, that she completed March 1949. Instead of becoming a faculty member at Columbia, she travelled to Switzerland and took up an invitation from Maria Daelen to come to Wiesbaden
. Initially she wanted to visit Germany
just for a few days (her visa was valid for ten days), but eventually she stayed there for two years. She was a visiting physician in Gießen, Frankfurt, Marburg, Wiesbaden, Tübingen, Berlin, Heidenheim, Hamburg and Heidelberg. She used anesthesia machines
from the US Army and developed her own machine.
She is less known in her home country than in Germany. In 1950 she wrote the first anesthesia textbook published after World War II in Germany: Einführung in die Praxis der modernen Inhalationsnarkose. de Gruyter Verlag, Berlin. It had 13 editions until 1991 with a circulation of more than 15 000.
She introduced practices that are still in use today: For example she included on the back of the anesthesia chart an extensive and detailed checklist for both preoperative assessment and postoperative complications.
Upon her return to the United States she became chair and associate professor at the Francis Delafield
Hospital in New York till her retirement 1972.
On September 18, 1981 she became an honorary member of the German Society of Anesthesiology and Intensive care Medicine (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Anästhesiologie und Intensivmedizin, DGAI).
Anesthesiologist
An anesthesiologist or anaesthetist is a physician trained in anesthesia and peri-operative medicine....
.
She was the only child of Eugene Henry and Helen Esther Heller (maiden name: Goodman), who emigrated from Hungary and Germany respectively into the United States. The father changed the name into Henley while she was a child. Both parents practiced lay psychotherapy and later obtained PhDs.
After graduation from high school, she obtained her BA
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
degree at Vassar College
Vassar College
Vassar College is a private, coeducational liberal arts college in the town of Poughkeepsie, New York, in the United States. The Vassar campus comprises over and more than 100 buildings, including four National Historic Landmarks, ranging in style from Collegiate Gothic to International,...
and Barnard College
Barnard College
Barnard College is a private women's liberal arts college and a member of the Seven Sisters. Founded in 1889, Barnard has been affiliated with Columbia University since 1900. The campus stretches along Broadway between 116th and 120th Streets in the Morningside Heights neighborhood in the borough...
and went from March 1930 – 1932 to Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
in order to study sculpture. In New York she studied medicine starting 1936 and graduated 1940 at Columbia University College of Physicians & Surgeons
Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons
Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, often known as P&S, is a graduate school of Columbia University that is located on the health sciences campus in the Washington Heights neighborhood of Manhattan...
. She started a residency in internal medicine in San Francisco, then at New York Hospital
New York Hospital
New York Hospital or “Old New York Hospital” or “City Hospital” was the oldest hospital in New York City and the second oldest hospital in the United States.-Early History:...
and completed her training at Peter Bent Brigham Hospital. In 1944 she voluntarily joined the army and became a captain in those 27 months. On March 1, 1947 she began her residency at Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center
NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital
NewYork–Presbyterian Hospital is a prominent university hospital in New York City affiliated with two Ivy League medical schools: Columbia University's College of Physicians and Surgeons and Cornell University's Weill Medical College. It is composed of two distinct medical centers, Columbia...
, that she completed March 1949. Instead of becoming a faculty member at Columbia, she travelled to Switzerland and took up an invitation from Maria Daelen to come to Wiesbaden
Wiesbaden
Wiesbaden is a city in southwest Germany and the capital of the federal state of Hesse. It has about 275,400 inhabitants, plus approximately 10,000 United States citizens...
. Initially she wanted to visit Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
just for a few days (her visa was valid for ten days), but eventually she stayed there for two years. She was a visiting physician in Gießen, Frankfurt, Marburg, Wiesbaden, Tübingen, Berlin, Heidenheim, Hamburg and Heidelberg. She used anesthesia machines
Anaesthetic machine
The anaesthetic machine is used by anaesthesiologists and nurse anaesthetists to support the administration of anaesthesia...
from the US Army and developed her own machine.
She is less known in her home country than in Germany. In 1950 she wrote the first anesthesia textbook published after World War II in Germany: Einführung in die Praxis der modernen Inhalationsnarkose. de Gruyter Verlag, Berlin. It had 13 editions until 1991 with a circulation of more than 15 000.
She introduced practices that are still in use today: For example she included on the back of the anesthesia chart an extensive and detailed checklist for both preoperative assessment and postoperative complications.
Upon her return to the United States she became chair and associate professor at the Francis Delafield
Francis Delafield
Francis Delafield was an American physician, born in New York City. His father, Dr. Edward Delafield, was the son of the prominent John Delafield who had emigrated to America from London, England in 1783 carrying the provisional peace treaty between England and The United States...
Hospital in New York till her retirement 1972.
On September 18, 1981 she became an honorary member of the German Society of Anesthesiology and Intensive care Medicine (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Anästhesiologie und Intensivmedizin, DGAI).