Emanuel Martin Papper (July 12, 1915 – December 3, 2002) was an American

anesthesiologist Anesthesiology, anaesthesiology, or anaesthesia is the medical specialty concerned with the total perioperative care of patients before, during and after surgery. It encompasses anesthesia, intensive care medicine, critical emergency medicine, ...

, professor, and author.

Early life

Papper was born in a

Harlem Harlem is a neighborhood in Upper Manhattan, New York City. It is bounded roughly by the Hudson River on the west; the Harlem River and 155th Street (Manhattan), 155th Street on the north; Fifth Avenue on the east; and 110th Street (Manhattan), ...

tenement on July 12, 1915, the son of two immigrants. He attended

Boys High School Single-sex education, also known as single-gender education and gender-isolated education, is the practice of conducting education with male and female students attending separate classes, perhaps in separate buildings or schools. The practice of ...

in Brooklyn and graduated in 1931. From there he moved on to Columbia College, where, with the help of a scholarship, he obtained his AB degree,

Phi Beta Kappa The Phi Beta Kappa Society () is the oldest academic honor society in the United States, and the most prestigious, due in part to its long history and academic selectivity. Phi Beta Kappa aims to promote and advocate excellence in the liberal a ...

, in 1935. Following college, Papper obtained a medical degree from

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 ...

in 1938.Saxon, Wolfgang. “Emanuel M. Papper, 87, Pioneer In Anesthesiology at Columbia”. (December 6, 2002). ''New York Times''

Medical career

After medical school, Papper was appointed a fellow in medicine at New York University. In 1939, he had an internship at

Bellevue Hospital Bellevue Hospital (officially NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue and formerly known as Bellevue Hospital Center) is a hospital in New York City and the oldest public hospital in the United States. One of the largest hospitals in the United States b ...

, which included a one-month rotation at that institution’s Department of Anesthesiology, headed by Emery Rovenstine. This short exposure prompted Papper to research the discipline further. Following his internship, he took an NYU Fellowship under Homer W. Smith, before returning to Bellevue for a residency under Rovenstine from 1940 to 1942."Emanuel M. Papper, M.D., Ph.D. - Biography." http://calder.med.miami.edu/papper/biography.html The

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

temporarily disrupted Papper’s career trajectory. He served as a major in the Army Medical Corps from 1942 through 1946. He served as chief of the Section on Anesthesiology at Torney General Hospital in Palm Springs and Dibble General Hospital in Menlo Park before being sent to the European theater. Upon his return home, he served as chief of Anesthesiology and Operating Rooms at

Walter Reed Walter Reed (September 13, 1851 – November 22, 1902) was a U.S. Army physician who in 1901 led the team that confirmed the theory of Cuban doctor Carlos Finlay that yellow fever is transmitted by a particular mosquito species rather than b ...

. For his service, he was awarded the

Army Commendation Medal The Commendation Medal is a mid-level United States military decoration presented for sustained acts of heroism or meritorious service. Each branch of the United States Armed Forces issues its own version of the Commendation Medal, with a fifth ...

. At the end of his service, he returned to Bellevue as Rovenstine’s assistant director – the first assistant director at that institution.

Later life

In 1949, Papper accepted a position at the College of Physicians and Surgeons of

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

, where he served as professor and director of anesthesiology. He remained at Columbia until 1969, establishing an independent Department of Anesthesiology there, just as Rovenstine had at New York. At the time, it was only the fourth such department in the country, and Papper was the youngest ever director. Papper was appointed dean in 1969 of the University of Miami School of Medicine and vice president for Medical Affairs, which he held until 1981. After his retirement as dean, he enrolled in the English PhD program at the university, obtaining his new degree in 1990. His work for the program led to the publication of his book ''Romance, Poetry, and Surgical Sleep: Literature Influences Medicine''.

Books

* ''Romance, Poetry, and Surgical Sleep: Literature Influences Medicine''

References

External links