Arthur Christian DeGraff Sr. (December 3, 1899–May 25, 1983) was an American cardiologist and teacher. Born in New Jersey, he went to school and spent his career in New York at various hospitals. He was a professor at New York University from 1932–1980, and the editor of the ''

Annual Review of Medicine The ''Annual Review of Medicine'' is a peer-reviewed medical journal that publishes review articles about all aspects of medicine. It was established in 1950. Its longest-serving editors have been William P. Creger (1974–1993) and C. Thomas Ca ...

'' from 1964–1973.

Early life and education

Arthur Christian DeGraff was born in

Paterson, New Jersey Paterson ( ) is the largest City (New Jersey), city in and the county seat of Passaic County, New Jersey, Passaic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

, and Christian DeGraff, a plumber, who was born to immigrants from the Netherlands. He had a younger brother, Jacob. He attended

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then-Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin. In 1832, the ...

for both his bachelor's degree and

Doctor of Medicine Doctor of Medicine (abbreviated M.D., from the Latin language, Latin ''Medicinae Doctor'') is a medical degree, the meaning of which varies between different jurisdictions. In the United States, and some other countries, the M.D. denotes a profes ...

Career

DeGraff was one of the early researchers in the development and use of cardiac glycoside drugs. He also had an emphasis on the treatment of pediatric heart conditions. In 1932, he was named the Samuel A. Brown professor of therapeutics at New York University. He held the position until 1980, at which time he became the professor

emeritus ''Emeritus'' (; female: ''emerita'') is an adjective used to designate a retired chair, professor, pastor, bishop, pope, director, president, prime minister, rabbi, emperor, or other person who has been "permitted to retain as an honorary title ...

. He was a visiting physician at Bellevue Hospital in New York City and an attending physician at University Hospital. He accepted a position as the director of medicine at Jewish Memorial Hospital in 1964, remaining the director until November 1968. He retired from practicing medicine in 1978. He was a member of several scientific societies, including the American Society for Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics, of which he was president. He was also chair of the '' United States Pharmacopeia'' and the medical board of Irvington House. He succeeded David A. Rytand as the

editor Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, photographic, visual, audible, or cinematic material used by a person or an entity to convey a message or information. The editing process can involve correction, condensation, orga ...

of the ''

'' in 1964; upon stepping down in 1973, he was replaced by William P. Creger.

Personal life and death

DeGraff married Dorothy ; the couple had three sons. In his later life, he and Dorothy divided their time between

Newtown, Connecticut Newtown is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. It is part of the Greater Danbury metropolitan area as well as the New York metropolitan area. Newtown was founded in 1705, and later incorporated in 1711. As of the 2020 censu ...

, and

Warm Mineral Springs, Florida Warm Mineral Springs is a census-designated place (CDP) in Sarasota County, Florida, United States. The population was 5,061 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Bradenton–Sarasota–Venice Metropolitan Statistical Area. The Warm Miner ...

. He died in

Hartford, Connecticut Hartford is the capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It was the seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960. It is the core city in the Greater Hartford metropolitan area. Census estimates since the ...

, on May 25, 1983, at the age of 83.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:DeGraff, Arthur C 1899 births 1983 deaths People from Paterson, New Jersey American people of Dutch descent New York University alumni New York University faculty American cardiologists Annual Reviews (publisher) editors