Philip Warren Majerus (10 July 1936 – 8 June 2016) was an American

biochemist Biochemists are scientists who are trained in biochemistry. They study chemical processes and chemical transformations in living organisms. Biochemists study DNA, proteins and cell parts. The word "biochemist" is a portmanteau of "biological ch ...

who confirmed the cardiovascular benefits of

aspirin Aspirin, also known as acetylsalicylic acid (ASA), is a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) used to reduce pain, fever, and/or inflammation, and as an antithrombotic. Specific inflammatory conditions which aspirin is used to treat inc ...

. After graduating from medical school and completing a residency at

Massachusetts General Hospital Massachusetts General Hospital (Mass General or MGH) is the original and largest teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School located in the West End neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts. It is the third oldest general hospital in the United Stat ...

, Majerus conducted research at the National Heart Institute before becoming a faculty member at the

Washington University School of Medicine Washington University School of Medicine (WUSM) is the medical school of Washington University in St. Louis in St. Louis, Missouri. Founded in 1891, the School of Medicine has 1,260 students, 604 of which are pursuing a medical degree with ...

Early life

A native of Chicago and the son of a five-and-dime store owner, Majerus grew up in

Quincy, Illinois Quincy ( ), known as Illinois's "Gem City", is a city in and the county seat of Adams County, Illinois, United States, located on the Mississippi River. The 2020 census counted a population of 39,463 in the city itself, down from 40,633 in 2010. ...

. As a child, he had no interest in any school subject other than science, and he seemed to thrive once one of his schoolteachers set up a chemistry laboratory where Majerus could perform hands-on experiments. Majerus was a talented tennis player, which earned him an athletic scholarship to the

University of Notre Dame The University of Notre Dame du Lac, known simply as Notre Dame ( ) or ND, is a private Catholic research university in Notre Dame, Indiana, outside the city of South Bend. French priest Edward Sorin founded the school in 1842. The main c ...

, where he completed an undergraduate degree in 1958. Majerus graduated from medical school at the Washington University School of Medicine.

Career

After completing a residency at Massachusetts General Hospital, Majerus worked for the National Heart Institute, conducting research on

fatty acid biosynthesis Fatty is a derogatory term for someone who is obese. It may refer also to: People * Mai Fatty, Gambian politician * Roscoe Arbuckle (1887–1933), American actor and comedian * Fatty Briody (1858–1903), American Major League Baseball playe ...

in E. coli in the laboratory of

P. Roy Vagelos Pindaros Roy Vagelos (born October 8, 1929, in Westfield, New Jersey), better known as P. Roy Vagelos or Roy Vagelos, is an American physician and business executive, who was president and chief executive officer (1985) and chairman (1986) of t ...

. Then he joined the Washington University School of Medicine faculty, shifting his research focus to

hematology Hematology ( always spelled haematology in British English) is the branch of medicine concerned with the study of the cause, prognosis, treatment, and prevention of diseases related to blood. It involves treating diseases that affect the produc ...

. Majerus said that the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...

had pushed him toward a career in research; after his residency, he had the choice between going to war as a physician or working for the government in his research position. Majerus studied the role of

platelets Platelets, also called thrombocytes (from Greek θρόμβος, "clot" and κύτος, "cell"), are a component of blood whose function (along with the coagulation factors) is to react to bleeding from blood vessel injury by clumping, thereby ...

in the clotting process, and he proved that low-dose aspirin therapy could reduce the incidence of heart attack and stroke. His work with clotting led to discoveries related to

inositol Inositol, or more precisely ''myo''-inositol, is a carbocyclic sugar that is abundant in the brain and other mammalian tissues; it mediates cell signal transduction in response to a variety of hormones, neurotransmitters, and growth factors and ...

, a substance that has importance in several bodily functions. In 1987, he was elected a fellow of the

American Association for the Advancement of Science The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is an American international non-profit organization with the stated goals of promoting cooperation among scientists, defending scientific freedom, encouraging scientific respons ...

. He was also awarded the Dameshek Prize from the

American Society of Hematology The American Society of Hematology (ASH) is a professional organization representing hematologists. It was founded in 1958. Its annual meeting is held in December of every year and has attracted more than 30,000 attendees. The society publishes th ...

Later life

Majerus retired in 2014 and he died of

prostate cancer Prostate cancer is cancer of the prostate. Prostate cancer is the second most common cancerous tumor worldwide and is the fifth leading cause of cancer-related mortality among men. The prostate is a gland in the male reproductive system that su ...

in 2016. He had four children with his first wife, the former Janet Brakensiek. He was survived by his second wife, Dr. Elaine Flansburg Majerus.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Majerus, Philip 1936 births 2016 deaths American biochemists Fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science University of Notre Dame alumni Washington University School of Medicine alumni Washington University School of Medicine faculty Deaths from prostate cancer Journal of Clinical Investigation editors Presidents of the American Society of Hematology Members of the National Academy of Medicine