Pioneer Medical Researcher. Henry Judah Heimlich was an American thoracic surgeon widely credited as the developer the lifesaving Heimlich maneuver, a technique of abdominal thrusts for stopping choking, as described in the "Journal of Emergency Medicine" in June of 1974. He described choking on food as the "Cafe Coronary." Other medical inventions from his research include the Micro Trach portable oxygen system for ambulatory patients and in 1962 the Heimlich Chest Drain Valve, or "flutter valve," which drains blood and air out of the chest cavity. During the Vietnam War era, the "flutter valve" would save the lives of numerous American soldiers, who were suffering from chest wounds. Without much success, he researched malariotherapy as a cure for various diseases including HIV. Born into a Jewish East European heritage, he received his education at Cornell University in upstate New York, graduating with a BA degree in 1941, and at the age of 23, received his MD from the Weill Cornell Medical College in 1943. After serving in China during World War II as a physician in the United States Navy, he was in the Navy Reserve in Northern China after 1945. It was there his research found a cure for victims of trachoma, a previously incurable bacterial infection on the eyelids in the Asian population, which caused blindness. This would be the beginning of his lifetime of medical research. After returning to the United States, he practiced in New York and Cincinnati, Ohio before founding the research center, Heimlich Institute, "an organization that celebrates creativity in medical innovation." He was always looking for a "medical breakthrough." During his professional career, he met controversy from numerous critics including co-workers and members of his own family. He published his memoirs in 2014, "Heimlich's Maneuvers: My Seventy Years of Lifesaving Innovation." He married Jane Murray, the daughter of Arthur Murray, of the well-known Arthur Murray Dance Studios. The couple had four children. His wife is an author of books on the subject of alternative medicine.
Pioneer Medical Researcher. Henry Judah Heimlich was an American thoracic surgeon widely credited as the developer the lifesaving Heimlich maneuver, a technique of abdominal thrusts for stopping choking, as described in the "Journal of Emergency Medicine" in June of 1974. He described choking on food as the "Cafe Coronary." Other medical inventions from his research include the Micro Trach portable oxygen system for ambulatory patients and in 1962 the Heimlich Chest Drain Valve, or "flutter valve," which drains blood and air out of the chest cavity. During the Vietnam War era, the "flutter valve" would save the lives of numerous American soldiers, who were suffering from chest wounds. Without much success, he researched malariotherapy as a cure for various diseases including HIV. Born into a Jewish East European heritage, he received his education at Cornell University in upstate New York, graduating with a BA degree in 1941, and at the age of 23, received his MD from the Weill Cornell Medical College in 1943. After serving in China during World War II as a physician in the United States Navy, he was in the Navy Reserve in Northern China after 1945. It was there his research found a cure for victims of trachoma, a previously incurable bacterial infection on the eyelids in the Asian population, which caused blindness. This would be the beginning of his lifetime of medical research. After returning to the United States, he practiced in New York and Cincinnati, Ohio before founding the research center, Heimlich Institute, "an organization that celebrates creativity in medical innovation." He was always looking for a "medical breakthrough." During his professional career, he met controversy from numerous critics including co-workers and members of his own family. He published his memoirs in 2014, "Heimlich's Maneuvers: My Seventy Years of Lifesaving Innovation." He married Jane Murray, the daughter of Arthur Murray, of the well-known Arthur Murray Dance Studios. The couple had four children. His wife is an author of books on the subject of alternative medicine.
Bio by: Linda Davis
Family Members
Siblings
Advertisement
