Reverend DePuy (March 22, 1860 – October 9, 1921), was an American inventor, noted for his invention of the

fiber splint Fiber or fibre (from la, fibra, links=no) is a natural or artificial substance that is significantly longer than it is wide. Fibers are often used in the manufacture of other materials. The strongest engineering materials often incorporate ...

. He was the founder of

DePuy Manufacturing DePuy Synthes () is a franchise of orthopaedic and neurosurgery companies. Acquired by Johnson & Johnson in 1998, its companies form part of the Johnson & Johnson Medical Devices group. DePuy develops and markets products under the Codman, DePuy ...

, now part of

Johnson and Johnson Johnson & Johnson (J&J) is an American multinational corporation founded in 1886 that develops medical devices, pharmaceuticals, and consumer packaged goods. Its common stock is a component of the Dow Jones Industrial Average and the company i ...

(J&J).

Biography

DePuy was born in Grand Rapids,

Michigan Michigan () is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the List of U.S. states and ...

, where his father was a lawyer, but the family moved to

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

when Revra was a child. After his father died, Revra's mother moved the family to Marseilles,

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Rockf ...

. As a young man, DePuy supported himself by doing many kinds of work. He worked as a clerk in a

drug store A pharmacy (also called "drugstore" in American English or "community pharmacy" or "chemist" in Commonwealth English, or rarely, apothecary) is a retail shop which provides pharmaceutical drugs, among other products. At the pharmacy, a pharmaci ...

, and then studied chemistry at the

University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public university, public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park (Toronto), Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 ...

, where he received a degree. After college, he invented a technique for sugar coating pills. Later, he worked as a traveling salesman. DePuy settled in

Warsaw, Indiana Warsaw is a city in and the county seat of Kosciusko County, Indiana, United States. Warsaw has a population of 13,559 as of the 2010 U.S. Census. Warsaw also borders a smaller town, Winona Lake. Etymology Warsaw, named after the capital of ...

, and decided to make a

to replace the wooden barrel splints which were used back then to set bone fractures.

became the first commercial orthopedic manufacturer in the world. The company operated out of the Hayes Hotel in Warsaw from 1895 - 1901. On March 9, 1896, he married Miss Winifred Stoner, who was the daughter of the sheriff of

Kosciusko County Kosciusko County ( ) is a county in the U.S. state of Indiana. At the 2020 United States Census, its population was 80,240. The county seat (and only incorporated city) is Warsaw. The county was organized in 1836. It was named for the Polish ge ...

. The marriage was childless. DePuy moved the manufacturing site to

Niles, Michigan Niles is a city in Berrien and Cass counties in the U.S. state of Michigan, near the Indiana border city of South Bend. In 2010, the population was 11,600 according to the 2010 census. It is the larger, by population, of the two principal cit ...

, from 1901 - 1904, then moved back to

after sales slumped. At that point, he built a factory at the corner of Columbia and Center streets in Warsaw, where the company made "fracture appliances" from 1904 - 1925. In 1905, J.O. Zimmer began working for DePuy as the first sales representative. Zimmer later left DePuy and founded Zimmer Holdings.Bot generated title -->
/ref> DePuy died of heart disease aged 61, on October 9, 1921, in

. His wife married Herschel Leiter, who then became president of

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Depuy, Revra 1860 births 1921 deaths American inventors