Notable people · Science · Medicine
Henry J. Heimlich
Thoracic surgeon born in Wilmington, Delaware, who published the abdominal-thrust choking maneuver on 1 June 1974 and later lived in Cincinnati, where he died. His later malariotherapy claims were rejected by the FDA and CDC.
At a glance
- Born
- 1920-02-03
- Died
- 2016-12-17
- Education
- New Rochelle High School, New Rochelle, NY, to 1937
- Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, to 1941, BA
- Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY, to 1943, MD
- Known as
- Science, Medicine
- Organizations
- Xavier University, Cincinnati hospitals
Life story
Henry Heimlich was born in Wilmington, Delaware, to Hungarian and Russian Jewish immigrant parents. He graduated from Cornell in 1941 and from its medical college in 1943.
He invented a chest drainage valve in 1962, patented in 1969. In June 1974 he published an article proposing abdominal thrusts for a choking person, and newspaper coverage made the method famous.
He died in Cincinnati in 2016.
His later promotion of 'malariotherapy' for cancer, Lyme disease and HIV was widely criticized, and his family has disputed some of his claims.
Timeline
- 1920-02-03: Born (Wilmington, DE) source
- 1941: BA, Cornell University (Ithaca, NY) source
- 1943: MD, Cornell (New York, NY) source
- 1945: Chief medical officer in China (China) source
- 1951-06-04: Married Jane Murray (United States) source
- 1962: Invented chest drainage flutter valve (patent 1969) (United States) source
- 1974-06-01: Published 'Pop Goes the Cafe Coronary' (United States) source
- 1984: Lasker Award (United States) source
- 2016-12-17: Died (Cincinnati, OH) source
What Henry is known for
- Heimlich maneuver, published June 1974
- Chest drainage flutter valve
- Lasker Award 1984
- Heimlich valve (1962, patented 1969)
- Pop Goes the Cafe Coronary (1974)
Inventions and firsts
- Heimlich maneuver (1974) credit is disputed
Honors and things named for them
- Lasker Award (1984)
- Engineering and Science Hall of Fame (1985)
- Golden Plate Award (1985)
- Safety and Health Hall of Fame (1993)
Family
- spouse: Jane Murray Heimlich
- son: Peter M. Heimlich
Ohio places
Where Henry J. Heimlich was born, lived, worked and is remembered, with the ZIP code, town and county pages for each.
- Worked: Cincinnati, Hamilton County ZIP 45202 · Cincinnati · Hamilton County
- Lived: Cincinnati, Hamilton County ZIP 45202 · Cincinnati · Hamilton County
Myths and corrections
- Heimlich is often called the sole inventor of the maneuver. His son Peter has said 'the only thing my father ever invented was his own mythology'.
- Malariotherapy trials in Ethiopia were criticized by the FDA and CDC, and family members disputed claims that he personally used the maneuver.
Further reading
Sources
Confidence. Medium: the main facts were confirmed, but some details (often an address or ZIP code) were not.
- Henry Heimlich (Wikipedia) dates, 1974 article, controversies, died Cincinnati