Richard Bing
Encyclopedia
Richard John Bing was a cardiologist who made significant contributions to his field of study.
to a hops
merchant and a professional singer, he studied at the Conservatory at the Nuremberg Gymnasium but also took an interest in medicine. Trying to determine which path to take, after an indifferent reception from Richard Strauss
and being inspired by Arrowsmith
, he went into medicine, earning a degree at the University of Munich in 1934. His family—who were Jewish—left Nazi Germany
shortly thereafter, and he studied further at the University of Bern, and was awarded another medical degree in 1935.
at the Carlsberg Biological Institute. There he worked with the Nobel prize-winning surgeon Alexis Carrel
and aviator Charles Lindbergh
on the early development of machine perfusion
. The following year, he emigrated to the United States, where he took a position in physiology at the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons
, where he worked under Allen Whipple
.
He took an assistant residency at Johns Hopkins University
in order to allow him to join the Medical Corps
. After two years in the Corps, he returned to Hopkins as a junior faculty member. There, he did pioneering research into cardiac metabolism, enabling the accurate measurement of the effects of drugs and drug candidates on the heart. After stints at Washington University and Wayne State University
, he moved to California, and joined the Huntington Medical Research Institutes. There, he continued research, studying the chemistry of heart attacks, developing techniques for high-speed photography of the coronary vessels, and measurement of blood flow using nitric oxide.
Bing was life president of the International Society for Heart Research
, having helped establish the group that evolved into that organization. He continued work into his 90s, and published more than 500 academic papers and books. Continuing his interest in music, he also wrote 300 works of music and five works of fiction.
. He died November 8, 2010, aged 101.
Early life and education
Born in NurembergNuremberg
Nuremberg[p] is a city in the German state of Bavaria, in the administrative region of Middle Franconia. Situated on the Pegnitz river and the Rhine–Main–Danube Canal, it is located about north of Munich and is Franconia's largest city. The population is 505,664...
to a hops
Hops
Hops are the female flower clusters , of a hop species, Humulus lupulus. They are used primarily as a flavoring and stability agent in beer, to which they impart a bitter, tangy flavor, though hops are also used for various purposes in other beverages and herbal medicine...
merchant and a professional singer, he studied at the Conservatory at the Nuremberg Gymnasium but also took an interest in medicine. Trying to determine which path to take, after an indifferent reception from Richard Strauss
Richard Strauss
Richard Georg Strauss was a leading German composer of the late Romantic and early modern eras. He is known for his operas, which include Der Rosenkavalier and Salome; his Lieder, especially his Four Last Songs; and his tone poems and orchestral works, such as Death and Transfiguration, Till...
and being inspired by Arrowsmith
Arrowsmith (novel)
Arrowsmith is a novel by American author and playwright Sinclair Lewis that was published in 1925. It won the 1926 Pulitzer Prize for Lewis but he refused to accept it. Lewis was greatly assisted in its preparation by science writer Dr. Paul de Kruif, who received 25% of the royalties on sales, but...
, he went into medicine, earning a degree at the University of Munich in 1934. His family—who were Jewish—left Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
shortly thereafter, and he studied further at the University of Bern, and was awarded another medical degree in 1935.
Career as cardiologist
Bing then took a fellowship in CopenhagenCopenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
at the Carlsberg Biological Institute. There he worked with the Nobel prize-winning surgeon Alexis Carrel
Alexis Carrel
Alexis Carrel was a French surgeon and biologist who was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1912 for pioneering vascular suturing techniques. He invented the first perfusion pump with Charles A. Lindbergh opening the way to organ transplantation...
and aviator Charles Lindbergh
Charles Lindbergh
Charles Augustus Lindbergh was an American aviator, author, inventor, explorer, and social activist.Lindbergh, a 25-year-old U.S...
on the early development of machine perfusion
Machine perfusion
Machine perfusion is a technique used in organ transplantation as a means of preserving the organs which are to be transplanted. To some degree, it emulates natural perfusion. So far it has mainly been used in kidney transplantation. It is an alternative to cold storage...
. The following year, he emigrated to the United States, where he took a position in physiology at 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...
, where he worked under Allen Whipple
Allen Whipple
Allen Oldfather Whipple was an American surgeon who is known for the pancreatic cancer operation which bears his name as well as Whipple's triad....
.
He took an assistant residency at Johns Hopkins University
Johns Hopkins University
The Johns Hopkins University, commonly referred to as Johns Hopkins, JHU, or simply Hopkins, is a private research university based in Baltimore, Maryland, United States...
in order to allow him to join the Medical Corps
Medical Corps (United States Army)
The Medical Corps of the U.S. Army is a staff corps of the U.S. Army Medical Department consisting of commissioned medical officers – physicians with either an MD or a DO degree, at least one year of post-graduate clinical training, and a state medical license.The MC traces its earliest origins...
. After two years in the Corps, he returned to Hopkins as a junior faculty member. There, he did pioneering research into cardiac metabolism, enabling the accurate measurement of the effects of drugs and drug candidates on the heart. After stints at Washington University and Wayne State University
Wayne State University
Wayne State University is a public research university located in Detroit, Michigan, United States, in the city's Midtown Cultural Center Historic District. Founded in 1868, WSU consists of 13 schools and colleges offering more than 400 major subject areas to over 32,000 graduate and...
, he moved to California, and joined the Huntington Medical Research Institutes. There, he continued research, studying the chemistry of heart attacks, developing techniques for high-speed photography of the coronary vessels, and measurement of blood flow using nitric oxide.
Bing was life president of the International Society for Heart Research
International Society for Heart Research
The International Society for Heart Research was created to promote the discovery and dissemination knowledge in cardiovascular sciences on a worldwide basis. This is achieved through emitting publications, organizing congresses, and other media....
, having helped establish the group that evolved into that organization. He continued work into his 90s, and published more than 500 academic papers and books. Continuing his interest in music, he also wrote 300 works of music and five works of fiction.
Personal life/death
Bing married Mary Whipple, the daughter of his supervisor at Columbia, in 1938 (Died in 1990), and had two sons and two daughters; His daughter Barbara Bing died in 1999. He was the subject of a short 2009 documentary, Para Fuera: A Portrait of Dr. Richard J. BingPara Fuera
Para Fuera: A Portrait of Dr. Richard J. Bing is a 2009 short documentary film about Dr. Richard J. Bing on his hundredth birthday. The film was written and directed by award winning director Nicholas Jasenovec and executive producers Sean Carver, Eric Hadley, Loretta Jeneski, and Michael...
. He died November 8, 2010, aged 101.
See also
- Diamantis A., Magiorkinis E. In Memoriam: Richard John Bing (1909–2010): The man "for all seasons" passes to the Elysian fields of science. Hell J Nucl Med 2010, 3: 300