Werner Forssmann
Encyclopedia
Werner Theodor Otto Forßmann, (August 29, 1904 – June 1, 1979) was a physician
from Germany who shared the 1956 Nobel Prize in Medicine (with Andre Cournand and Dickinson Richards) for developing a procedure that allowed for cardiac catheterization
. In 1929, he put himself under local anesthetic and inserted a catheter into his own arm. Not knowing when the catheter might pierce a vein, he risked his own life and was able to pass the catheter into his own heart.
He hypothesized that a catheter
could be inserted directly into the heart, for such applications as directly delivering drugs, injecting radiopaque
dyes, or measuring blood pressure. The fear at the time was that such an intrusion into the heart would be fatal. In order to prove his point, he decided to try the experiment on himself.
In 1929, while working in Eberswalde
, he performed the first human cardiac catheterisation. He ignored his department chief and persuaded the OR nurse in charge of the sterile supplies, Gerda Ditzen, to assist him. She agreed, but only on the promise that he would do it on her rather than on himself. However Forssmann tricked her by restraining her to the operating table and pretending to locally anaesthetise and cut her arm whilst actually doing it on himself. He anesthetized his own lower arm in the cubical region and inserted a uretic catheter into his antecubital vein
, threading it partly along before releasing Greda (who at this point realised the catheter was not in her arm) and telling her to call the X-Ray department. They walked some distance to the X-ray department on the floor below where under the guidance of a fluoroscope he advanced the catheter the full 60 cm into his right ventricular cavity. This was then recorded on X-Ray film showing the catheter laying in his right atrium.
The head clinician at Eberswalde, although initially very annoyed, recognized Werner's discovery when shown the X-rays; he allowed Forssmann to carry out another catheterisation on a a terminally ill woman who's condition improved after being given drugs in this way. An unpaid position was created for Forssmann at the Berliner Charité Hospital
, working under Ferdinand Sauerbruch
. Though, once Sauerbruch saw his paper, he was thrown out of the hospital for continuing without his approval. Sauerbruch commented, "You certainly can't begin surgery in that manner". Facing such disciplinary action for self-experimentation, he was initially forced to leave the Berliner Charité Hospital
but was later re-instated until again being forced to leave in 1932 for not meeting scientific expectations. His surgical skills were noted however and he was recommended to another hospital where he worked for a while before leaving in 1933 after he married Dr. Elsbet Engel, a specialist in urology there. Finding it difficult to get a job with his reputation, he quit cardiology
and took up urology
.
He then went on to study urology under Karl Heusch at the Rudolf Virchow Hospital in Berlin. Later, he was appointed Chief of the Surgical Clinic at both the City Hospital at Dresden-Friedrichstadt
and the Robert Koch Hospital in Berlin.
From 1932 to 1945, he was a member of the Nazi Party. At the start of World War II, he became a medical officer. In the course of his service, he rose to the rank of Major
, until he was captured and put into a POW camp. Upon his release in 1945 he worked as a lumberjack and then as a country doctor in the Schwarzwald with his wife. In 1950, he began practicing as urologist in Bad Kreuznach
During the time of his imprisonment, his paper was read by André Frédéric Cournand
and Dickinson W. Richards
. They developed ways of applying his technique to heart disease diagnosis and research. In 1956, the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
was awarded to Cournand, Richards, and Forßmann.
After winning the Nobel Prize, he was given the position of Honorary Professor of Surgery and Urology at the University of Mainz.
Later, in 1954, he was given the Leibniz Medal of the German Academy of Sciences. And, in 1961, he became an Honorary
Professor
at the National University of Córdoba
. In 1962, he became a member of the Executive Board of the German Surgical Society. He also became a member of the American College of Chest Physicians
, honorary member of the Swedish Society of Cardiology, the German Society of Urology, and the German Child Welfare Association.
He and Elsbet had six children: Klaus Forßmann in 1934, Knut Forßmann in 1936, Jörg Forßmann in 1938, Wolf Forßmann in 1939 (who was first to isolate the atrial natriuretic peptide
), Bernd Forßmann in 1940 (who helped develop the first clinical lithotriptor
), and Renate Forßmann in 1943.
He died in Schopfheim, Germany
of heart failure on June 1, 1979.
Physician
A physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments...
from Germany who shared the 1956 Nobel Prize in Medicine (with Andre Cournand and Dickinson Richards) for developing a procedure that allowed for cardiac catheterization
Cardiac catheterization
Cardiac catheterization is the insertion of a catheter into a chamber or vessel of the heart. This is done for both investigational and interventional purposes...
. In 1929, he put himself under local anesthetic and inserted a catheter into his own arm. Not knowing when the catheter might pierce a vein, he risked his own life and was able to pass the catheter into his own heart.
Life
Forßmann was born in Berlin on August 29, 1904. Upon graduating from Askanische Gymnasium, he entered the University of Berlin to study medicine, passing the State Examination in 1929.He hypothesized that a catheter
Catheter
In medicine, a catheter is a tube that can be inserted into a body cavity, duct, or vessel. Catheters thereby allow drainage, administration of fluids or gases, or access by surgical instruments. The process of inserting a catheter is catheterization...
could be inserted directly into the heart, for such applications as directly delivering drugs, injecting radiopaque
Radiodensity
Radiodensity refers to the relative inability of electromagnetic radiation, particularly X-rays, to pass through a particular material. Radiolucency indicates greater transparency or "transradiancy" to X-ray photons...
dyes, or measuring blood pressure. The fear at the time was that such an intrusion into the heart would be fatal. In order to prove his point, he decided to try the experiment on himself.
In 1929, while working in Eberswalde
Eberswalde
Eberswalde is a major town and the administrative seat of the district Barnim in the German Federal State of Brandenburg, about 50 km northeast of Berlin. Population 42144 , geographical location . The town is often called Waldstadt , because of the large forests around it, including the...
, he performed the first human cardiac catheterisation. He ignored his department chief and persuaded the OR nurse in charge of the sterile supplies, Gerda Ditzen, to assist him. She agreed, but only on the promise that he would do it on her rather than on himself. However Forssmann tricked her by restraining her to the operating table and pretending to locally anaesthetise and cut her arm whilst actually doing it on himself. He anesthetized his own lower arm in the cubical region and inserted a uretic catheter into his antecubital vein
Median cubital vein
In human anatomy, the median cubital vein is a superficial vein of the upper limb. It connects the basilic and cephalic vein and is often used for venipuncture . It lies in the cubital fossa superficial to the bicipital aponeurosis.There exists a fair amount of variation of the median cubital vein...
, threading it partly along before releasing Greda (who at this point realised the catheter was not in her arm) and telling her to call the X-Ray department. They walked some distance to the X-ray department on the floor below where under the guidance of a fluoroscope he advanced the catheter the full 60 cm into his right ventricular cavity. This was then recorded on X-Ray film showing the catheter laying in his right atrium.
The head clinician at Eberswalde, although initially very annoyed, recognized Werner's discovery when shown the X-rays; he allowed Forssmann to carry out another catheterisation on a a terminally ill woman who's condition improved after being given drugs in this way. An unpaid position was created for Forssmann at the Berliner Charité Hospital
Charité
The Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin is the medical school for both the Humboldt University and the Free University of Berlin. After the merger with their fourth campus in 2003, the Charité is one of the largest university hospitals in Europe....
, working under Ferdinand Sauerbruch
Ferdinand Sauerbruch
Ernst Ferdinand Sauerbruch was a German surgeon.Sauerbruch was born in Barmen , Germany. He studied medicine at the Philipps University of Marburg, the University of Greifswald, the Friedrich Schiller University of Jena, and the University of Leipzig, from the last of which he graduated in 1902...
. Though, once Sauerbruch saw his paper, he was thrown out of the hospital for continuing without his approval. Sauerbruch commented, "You certainly can't begin surgery in that manner". Facing such disciplinary action for self-experimentation, he was initially forced to leave the Berliner Charité Hospital
Charité
The Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin is the medical school for both the Humboldt University and the Free University of Berlin. After the merger with their fourth campus in 2003, the Charité is one of the largest university hospitals in Europe....
but was later re-instated until again being forced to leave in 1932 for not meeting scientific expectations. His surgical skills were noted however and he was recommended to another hospital where he worked for a while before leaving in 1933 after he married Dr. Elsbet Engel, a specialist in urology there. Finding it difficult to get a job with his reputation, he quit cardiology
Cardiology
Cardiology is a medical specialty dealing with disorders of the heart . The field includes diagnosis and treatment of congenital heart defects, coronary artery disease, heart failure, valvular heart disease and electrophysiology...
and took up urology
Urology
Urology is the medical and surgical specialty that focuses on the urinary tracts of males and females, and on the reproductive system of males. Medical professionals specializing in the field of urology are called urologists and are trained to diagnose, treat, and manage patients with urological...
.
He then went on to study urology under Karl Heusch at the Rudolf Virchow Hospital in Berlin. Later, he was appointed Chief of the Surgical Clinic at both the City Hospital at Dresden-Friedrichstadt
Friedrichstadt (Dresden)
Friedrichstadt is a neighborhood in central Dresden, Germany. A factory district in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, it is known as the home of the founders of the artistic association known as Die Brücke.- History :...
and the Robert Koch Hospital in Berlin.
From 1932 to 1945, he was a member of the Nazi Party. At the start of World War II, he became a medical officer. In the course of his service, he rose to the rank of Major
Major
Major is a rank of commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every military in the world.When used unhyphenated, in conjunction with no other indicator of rank, the term refers to the rank just senior to that of an Army captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...
, until he was captured and put into a POW camp. Upon his release in 1945 he worked as a lumberjack and then as a country doctor in the Schwarzwald with his wife. In 1950, he began practicing as urologist in Bad Kreuznach
Bad Kreuznach
Bad Kreuznach is the capital of the district of Bad Kreuznach, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is located on the Nahe river, a tributary of the Rhine...
During the time of his imprisonment, his paper was read by André Frédéric Cournand
André Frédéric Cournand
André Frédéric Cournand was a French physician and physiologist.He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1956 along with Werner Forssmann and Dickinson W. Richards for the development of cardiac catheterization.Born in Paris, Cournand emigrated to the United States in 1930 and,...
and Dickinson W. Richards
Dickinson W. Richards
Dr. Dickinson Woodruff Richards, Jr. was an American physician and physiologist. He was a co-recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1956 with André Cournand and Werner Forssmann for the development of cardiac catheterization and the characterisation of a number of cardiac...
. They developed ways of applying his technique to heart disease diagnosis and research. In 1956, the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine administered by the Nobel Foundation, is awarded once a year for outstanding discoveries in the field of life science and medicine. It is one of five Nobel Prizes established in 1895 by Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite, in his will...
was awarded to Cournand, Richards, and Forßmann.
After winning the Nobel Prize, he was given the position of Honorary Professor of Surgery and Urology at the University of Mainz.
Later, in 1954, he was given the Leibniz Medal of the German Academy of Sciences. And, in 1961, he became an Honorary
Honorary title (academic)
Honorary titles in academia may be conferred on persons in recognition of contributions by a non-employee or by an employee beyond regular duties...
Professor
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
at the National University of Córdoba
National University of Córdoba
The National University of Córdoba, , is the oldest university in Argentina, and one of the oldest in the Americas. It is located in Córdoba, the capital of Córdoba Province. Since the early 20th century it has been the second largest university in the country in terms of the number of students,...
. In 1962, he became a member of the Executive Board of the German Surgical Society. He also became a member of the American College of Chest Physicians
American College of Chest Physicians
The American College of Chest Physicians is a medical organization in the United States consisting of physicians and non-physician specialists in the field of chest medicine, which includes pulmonology, thoracic surgery, and critical care medicine....
, honorary member of the Swedish Society of Cardiology, the German Society of Urology, and the German Child Welfare Association.
He and Elsbet had six children: Klaus Forßmann in 1934, Knut Forßmann in 1936, Jörg Forßmann in 1938, Wolf Forßmann in 1939 (who was first to isolate the atrial natriuretic peptide
Natriuretic peptide
Natriuretic peptide refers to a peptide which induces natriuresis .Types include:* Atrial natriuretic peptide: atria* Brain natriuretic peptide: ventricles in humans, brains in pigs* C-type natriuretic peptide...
), Bernd Forßmann in 1940 (who helped develop the first clinical lithotriptor
Lithotriptor
Extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy is a non-invasive treatment of kidney stones and biliary calculi using an acoustic pulse....
), and Renate Forßmann in 1943.
He died in Schopfheim, Germany
Schopfheim
Schopfheim is a town in the district of Lörrach in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated on the river Wiese, 10 km north of Rheinfelden, and 13 km east of Lörrach.The town is the birthplace of Gisela Oeri....
of heart failure on June 1, 1979.