John W. Holter (April 1, 1916 – December 22, 2003) was a toolmaker working for the Yale and Town Lock Company Stamford Connecticut. His son Charles Holter was born on November 7, 1955, with a severe form of spina bifida. Shortly after birth he contracted

meningitis Meningitis is acute or chronic inflammation of the protective membranes covering the brain and spinal cord, collectively called the meninges. The most common symptoms are fever, headache, and neck stiffness. Other symptoms include confusion or ...

, which caused his head to expand rapidly. His parents were told that he had developed "water on the brain" or hydrocephalus. As luck would have it Holter's son was being looked after in Philadelphia, where the surgeons Nulsen and Spitz had already demonstrated that a ventricle-to-atrium diversion system could work. What they needed was an inexpensive and practical valve that could control the direction of the flow and maintain normal cranial pressure.Boockvar, J. A., Loudon, W., Sutton, L. N.; Development of the Spitz-Holter valve in Philadelphia; ''J Neurosurg''; 95:145-147, 2001 A chance discovery showed Holter, after a failed attempt in which a young boy died, that he could use a

silicone A silicone or polysiloxane is a polymer made up of siloxane (−R2Si−O−SiR2−, where R = organic group). They are typically colorless oils or rubber-like substances. Silicones are used in sealants, adhesives, lubricants, medicine, cooking ...

one-way valve (pressure sealing). After a medically suitable grade of Silastic (

rubber) was found, the device was patented, and John Holter set up a company, Holter-Hausner International, to manufacture the cerebral shunts. Although he was unable to save his son Casey, his design, the Spitz-Holter valve (also called the Spitz-Holter shunt) continues to help millions around the world since the late 1950s.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Holter, John 1916 births 2003 deaths Medical technology companies of the United States American inventors