Wilbur Rounding Franks,

OBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

(4 March 1901 – 4 January 1986) was a Canadian scientist, notable as the inventor of the ''anti-gravity suit'' or

G-suit A g-suit, or anti-''g'' suit, is a flight suit worn by aviators and astronauts who are subject to high levels of acceleration force ( g). It is designed to prevent a black-out and g-LOC (g-induced loss of consciousness) caused by the blood pool ...

, and for his work in

cancer research Cancer research is research into cancer to identify causes and develop strategies for prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and cure. Cancer research ranges from epidemiology, molecular bioscience to the performance of clinical trials to evaluate and ...

Career

He was born in

Weston Weston may refer to: Places Australia * Weston, Australian Capital Territory, a suburb of Canberra * Weston, New South Wales * Weston Creek, a residential district of Canberra * Weston Park, Canberra, a park Canada * Weston, Nova Scotia * W ...

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

and was a medical graduate at the

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

. As a cancer researcher at the Banting and Best Medical Research Institute at

, Franks developed an idea that resulted in the world's first ''anti-gravity suit'' or G-suit. Franks had noted that his test tubes often broke when subjected to severe centrifugal force. He had solved the problem by first inserting them into larger and stronger liquid-filled bottles. In 1940, the anti gravity suit was developed under the name ''Franks Flying Suit'' by Wilbur R. Franks and his colleagues at the Banting and Best Medical Research Institute at the

. The suit was made with rubber and water-filled pads. It counteracted the effects of high G forces on aircraft pilots, which otherwise would cause them to black out. These suits were used during

World War II 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 ...

and all G-Suits worn by air force pilots as well as astronauts and cosmonauts around the world are based on his original designs. When testing his first prototype, Franks stated:

"The suit had been cut to fit me perfectly, standing up. . . . In the airplane I was sitting down, and when the pressure hit I thought it was going to cut me in two. The idea became practical only when we realized that great areas of the body could be left outside the fluid system."

In 1941 fellow Canadian scientist, Dr. Sir

Frederick Banting Sir Frederick Grant Banting (November 14, 1891 – February 21, 1941) was a Canadian medical scientist, physician, painter, and Nobel laureate noted as the co-discoverer of insulin and its therapeutic potential. In 1923, Banting and J ...

, co-discoverer of

insulin Insulin (, from Latin ''insula'', 'island') is a peptide hormone produced by beta cells of the pancreatic islets encoded in humans by the ''INS'' gene. It is considered to be the main anabolic hormone of the body. It regulates the metabolism o ...

, died in a plane crash near

Musgrave Harbour Musgrave Harbour is a town and designated place in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. History Musgrave Harbour is a fishing community that was originally named Muddy Hole. The name was changed in 1886 in honor of Governor An ...

, Canada while on his way to England to assist Franks in the testing of the suit.

Recognition and awards

Wilbur Franks received an

for his work in early 1944 for giving "the Allied forces a tremendous tactical advantage" and "saving the lives of thousands of Allied fighter pilots." With this invention, over five times more pilots survived than they would've without the G-suit. In 1983, Franks was inducted into Canada's Aviation Hall of Fame. Franks work was also noticed in the United States where he was awarded the

Legion of Merit The Legion of Merit (LOM) is a military award of the United States Armed Forces that is given for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievements. The decoration is issued to members of the eight ...

,Officer, Legion of Merit (United States) - Award effective 2 November 1946 as per Canada Gazette of that date and Air Force Routine Order 1075/46 dated 15 November 1946. the

Aerospace Medical Association The Aerospace Medical Association (AsMA) is the largest professional organization in the fields of aviation, space, and environmental medicine. The AsMA membership includes aerospace and hyperbaric medical specialists, scientists, flight nurses, p ...

's Theodore C. Lyster Award and Eric Liljencrantz Award.

Legacy

There is a Wilbur R. Franks Award that is given by the Canadian Society of Aviation Medicine for contributions to aviation medicine. The Wilbur Rounding Franks building located at

17 Wing Winnipeg Canadian Forces Base Winnipeg , (CFB Winnipeg) is a Royal Canadian Air Force base located within the City of Winnipeg, Manitoba. Co-located at the Winnipeg James Armstrong Richardson International Airport, CFB Winnipeg is home to many flight opera ...

is the home of the

Canadian Forces School of Survival and Aeromedical Training The Canadian Forces School of Survival and Aeromedical Training in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada was established in 1996. It provides instruction to aircrew on life support equipment, survival and aviation physiology. History The Wilbur Rounding ...

(CFSSAT).

References

External links

Banting Research FoundationWilbur Rounding Franks archival papers
held at th
University of Toronto Archives and Records Management Services
{{DEFAULTSORT:Franks, Wilbur 1901 births 1986 deaths 20th-century Canadian inventors University of Toronto alumni People from Weston, Toronto Recipients of the Legion of Merit Canadian Officers of the Order of the British Empire