William B. Kouwenhoven by unidentified photographer; black and white photograph.

Collection Summary 

Creator
Kouwenhoven, William Bennett

Dates
13 Jan 1886-10 Nov 1975

Institutional Affiliation(s)
Johns Hopkins University School of Engineering
1914-1975

Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
1956-1975 

Date Range of Collection
1964-1972

Volume of Collection
37 linear feet

Biography

William B. Kouwenhoven was born in Brooklyn, New York. He received his E.E. in 1906 and his M.E. in 1907, both from the Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn, and his doctoral degree in electrical engineering from Karlsruhe Technische Hochscule in Baden, Germany. He joined the faculty of the Johns Hopkins University School of Engineering in 1914, serving as dean of the school from 1938 until 1954. His research in electric shock and his study of the effects of electricity on the heart led to development of the closed chest electrical defibrillator and the technique of external cardiac massage. After his retirement from the school of engineering, Kouwenhoven was a lecturer at the school of medicine. In 1969, he received the first honorary degree ever conferred by the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. 

Scope and Content

The William B. Kouwenhoven Collection covers his years as a researcher and administrator at the Johns Hopkins University. Series include correspondence, research notes, and subject files. Much of the collection consists of charts and graphs of research data. A bound edition of Kouwenhoven's collected articles from 1965 to 1972 is also included.

Policy on Access and Use

This collection may contain some restricted records. Materials pertaining to patients, students, employees, and human research subjects, as well as unprocessed collections and recent administrative records, carry restrictions on access. For more information about the policies and procedures for access, see Policy on Access and Use.

When citing material from this collection, credit The Alan Mason Chesney Medical Archives of The Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions. For permission to reproduce images, contact the holder of the copyright.

For permissions contact:
archives@jhmi.edu
 

Copyright © 1999

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