Allen Whipple
Encyclopedia
Allen Oldfather Whipple was an American
surgeon who is known for the pancreatic cancer
operation which bears his name (the Whipple procedure) as well as Whipple's triad
.
Whipple was born to missionary parents William Levi Whipple and Mary Louise Whipple (née Allen), in Urmia
, Persia
. He attended Princeton University
and received his M.D. from the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons
in 1908, and was licensed to practice medicine in the state of New York on February 4, 1910 (NY License #10151). He became professor of surgery at Columbia University
where he served from 1921 to 1946. He began work on the procedure for resection of the pancreas
(pancreaticoduodenectomy) in 1935 and his original technique has since been modified greatly. In 1940, he shortened the procedure into a one-stage process.
During his lifetime, Whipple performed 37 pancreaticoduodenectomies.
He also is known for developing the diagnostic triad for insulinoma
known as Whipple's triad
. He supervised the surgical residency of Virginia Apgar
, later advising her to pursue her medical career in the field of anaesthesiology because he knew that surgery depended on advancements in this field to progress, and he saw in Apgar the 'energy and ability' to make a significant contribution. Apgar went on to devise the Apgar Score
, by which the health of newborns is evaluated, changing the face of neonatal medicine.
Whipple later became president of the American College of Physicians and Surgeons. He also was trustee of Princeton University
and was a recipient of the 1958 Woodrow Wilson Award.
Though he is not related to George Hoyt Whipple, who named Whipple's disease
and discovered Tropheryma whipplei
, the two were lifelong friends http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0016508599704853.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
surgeon who is known for the pancreatic cancer
Pancreatic cancer
Pancreatic cancer refers to a malignant neoplasm of the pancreas. The most common type of pancreatic cancer, accounting for 95% of these tumors is adenocarcinoma, which arises within the exocrine component of the pancreas. A minority arises from the islet cells and is classified as a...
operation which bears his name (the Whipple procedure) as well as Whipple's triad
Whipple's triad
Whipple's triad is a collection of three criteria that suggest a patient's symptoms result from hypoglycemia that may indicate insulinoma...
.
Whipple was born to missionary parents William Levi Whipple and Mary Louise Whipple (née Allen), in Urmia
Urmia
- Demographics :According to official census of 2006, the population of Urmia is about 871,204.- Language :The population of Urmia is mainly Azerbaijani people, with Kurdish, Assyrian Christian, and Armenian minorities...
, Persia
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
. He attended Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
and received his M.D. from the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons
Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons
Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, often known as P&S, is a graduate school of Columbia University that is located on the health sciences campus in the Washington Heights neighborhood of Manhattan...
in 1908, and was licensed to practice medicine in the state of New York on February 4, 1910 (NY License #10151). He became professor of surgery at Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
where he served from 1921 to 1946. He began work on the procedure for resection of the pancreas
Pancreas
The pancreas is a gland organ in the digestive and endocrine system of vertebrates. It is both an endocrine gland producing several important hormones, including insulin, glucagon, and somatostatin, as well as a digestive organ, secreting pancreatic juice containing digestive enzymes that assist...
(pancreaticoduodenectomy) in 1935 and his original technique has since been modified greatly. In 1940, he shortened the procedure into a one-stage process.
During his lifetime, Whipple performed 37 pancreaticoduodenectomies.
He also is known for developing the diagnostic triad for insulinoma
Insulinoma
An insulinoma is a tumour of the pancreas that is derived from beta cells and secretes insulin.Beta cells secrete insulin in response to increases in blood glucose. The resulting increase in insulin acts to lower blood glucose back to normal levels at which point further secretion of insulin is...
known as Whipple's triad
Whipple's triad
Whipple's triad is a collection of three criteria that suggest a patient's symptoms result from hypoglycemia that may indicate insulinoma...
. He supervised the surgical residency of Virginia Apgar
Virginia Apgar
Virginia Apgar was an American pediatric anesthesiologist. She was a leader in the fields of anesthesiology and teratology, and effectively founded the field of neonatology...
, later advising her to pursue her medical career in the field of anaesthesiology because he knew that surgery depended on advancements in this field to progress, and he saw in Apgar the 'energy and ability' to make a significant contribution. Apgar went on to devise the Apgar Score
Apgar score
The Apgar score was devised in 1952 by the eponymous Dr. Virginia Apgar as a simple and repeatable method to quickly and summarily assess the health of newborn children immediately after birth...
, by which the health of newborns is evaluated, changing the face of neonatal medicine.
Whipple later became president of the American College of Physicians and Surgeons. He also was trustee of Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
and was a recipient of the 1958 Woodrow Wilson Award.
Though he is not related to George Hoyt Whipple, who named Whipple's disease
Whipple's disease
Whipple's disease is a rare, systemic infectious disease caused by the bacterium Tropheryma whipplei. First described by George Hoyt Whipple in 1907 and commonly considered a gastrointestinal disorder, Whipple's disease primarily causes malabsorption but may affect any part of the body including...
and discovered Tropheryma whipplei
Tropheryma whipplei
Tropheryma whipplei, formerly called Tropheryma whippelii, is a bacterium and the causative organism of Whipple's disease.While T. whipplei is categorized with the Gram-positive Actinobacteria, the organism is commonly found to be Gram-negative or Gram-indeterminate when stained in the laboratory...
, the two were lifelong friends http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0016508599704853.