born Aug. 20, 1904, Berlin, Ger.
died June 1, 1979, Schopfheim, W.Ger.
German surgeon.
He shared with Andre Cournand and Dickinson W. Richards (1895–1973) a 1956 Nobel Prize for contributions to the development of cardiac catheterization. He used himself as the first human subject, watching the progress of the catheter in a mirror in front of a fluoroscope screen. Severely criticized for this, he abandoned cardiology for urology. His procedure, put into practice by Richards and Cournand, has become an invaluable diagnostic and research tool.