Wallace H. Coulter
Encyclopedia
Wallace H. Coulter was an American
electrical engineer, inventor, and businessman. He is best known for his discovery of the Coulter principle
, which provided a methodology for counting, measuring and evaluating microscopic particles suspended in fluid. His invention of the Coulter Counter made possible today’s most common medical diagnostic test: the complete blood count
(CBC).
Recognized as one of the most influential inventors of the twentieth century, Wallace Coulter studied electronics as a student at Georgia Tech in the early 1930s. Mr. Coulter developed the "Coulter Principle," a theory that gave birth to both the automated hematology industry and the field of industrial fine particle counting. His "Coulter Counter," a blood cell analyzer, is used to perform one of medicine's most often-requested and informative diagnostic tests, the complete blood count.
on February 17, 1913. He attended high school in Munroe, Arkansas, and went to Westminster College in Fulton, Missouri
and later studied electrical engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology
.
, Inc. Coulter Corporation continues to be one of the largest employers in Miami-Dade county with 1800 employees in 2009.
is named after him thanks to his contributions as a trustee and due to his Foundation's contributions to the University. The Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering
at Georgia Tech
and Emory University
is also named after him.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
electrical engineer, inventor, and businessman. He is best known for his discovery of the Coulter principle
Coulter principle
The term “Coulter Principle” refers to the use of an electric field for counting and sizing dilute suspensions of particles in conducting liquids. The phrase was coined when Wallace H. Coulter was awarded US Patent #2,656,508, Means for Counting Particles Suspended in a Fluid...
, which provided a methodology for counting, measuring and evaluating microscopic particles suspended in fluid. His invention of the Coulter Counter made possible today’s most common medical diagnostic test: the complete blood count
Complete blood count
A complete blood count , also known as full blood count or full blood exam or blood panel, is a test panel requested by a doctor or other medical professional that gives information about the cells in a patient's blood...
(CBC).
Recognized as one of the most influential inventors of the twentieth century, Wallace Coulter studied electronics as a student at Georgia Tech in the early 1930s. Mr. Coulter developed the "Coulter Principle," a theory that gave birth to both the automated hematology industry and the field of industrial fine particle counting. His "Coulter Counter," a blood cell analyzer, is used to perform one of medicine's most often-requested and informative diagnostic tests, the complete blood count.
Early life and education
Coulter was born in Little Rock, ArkansasLittle Rock, Arkansas
Little Rock is the capital and the largest city of the U.S. state of Arkansas. The Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 699,757 people in the 2010 census...
on February 17, 1913. He attended high school in Munroe, Arkansas, and went to Westminster College in Fulton, Missouri
Fulton, Missouri
Fulton is a city in Callaway County, Missouri, the United States of America. It is part of the Jefferson City, Missouri Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 12,790 in the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Callaway County...
and later studied electrical engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology
Georgia Institute of Technology
The Georgia Institute of Technology is a public research university in Atlanta, Georgia, in the United States...
.
Coulter Corporation
After securing a U.S. patent for the Coulter Counter in 1953, Wallace and his brother Joseph R. Coulter (d. 1998) began the production of the new cell and particle analyzer. Orders and sales continued to increase and, in 1958, the brothers incorporated their company as Coulter Electronics, Inc. and relocated operations to Hialeah, Florida in 1961. Coulter positioned the Coulter Corporation as the leader in the diagnostic industry. In October 1997, the Coulter Corporation was acquired by Beckman Instruments, Inc., and is now known as Beckman CoulterBeckman Coulter
Beckman Coulter Inc., is a company that makes biomedical laboratory instruments. Founded by Caltech professor Arnold O. Beckman in 1935 as National Technical Laboratories to commercialize a pH meter that he had invented, the company eventually grew to employ over 10,000 people, with $2.4 billion in...
, Inc. Coulter Corporation continues to be one of the largest employers in Miami-Dade county with 1800 employees in 2009.
Wallace H. Coulter Foundation
Coulter established the Wallace H. Coulter Foundation to improve health care through medical research and engineering. The foundation is located in Miami, Florida. In 2006 the foundation was the fifth largest in Florida with $430 million in assets and the sixth largest giver with $22 million in grants.Legacy
The science and mathematics building at Coulter's alma mater of Westminster College in Fulton, Missouri, is named the Coulter Science Center in Wallace's honor. The Wallace H. Coulter School of Engineering at Clarkson UniversityClarkson University
-The Clarkson School:The Clarkson School, a special division of Clarkson University, was founded in 1978 as a unique educational opportunity. The School offers students an early entrance opportunity into college, replacing the typical senior year of high school with a year of college...
is named after him thanks to his contributions as a trustee and due to his Foundation's contributions to the University. The Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering
Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering
The Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering is a department in the Georgia Institute of Technology's College of Engineering dedicated to the study of and research in biomedical engineering, and is named after the pioneering engineer and Georgia Tech alumnus Wallace H. Coulter...
at Georgia Tech
Georgia Institute of Technology
The Georgia Institute of Technology is a public research university in Atlanta, Georgia, in the United States...
and Emory University
Emory University
Emory University is a private research university in metropolitan Atlanta, located in the Druid Hills section of unincorporated DeKalb County, Georgia, United States. The university was founded as Emory College in 1836 in Oxford, Georgia by a small group of Methodists and was named in honor of...
is also named after him.