William Henry Howell (February 20, 1860 – February 6, 1945) was an American

physiologist Physiology (; ) is the scientific study of functions and mechanisms in a living system. As a sub-discipline of biology, physiology focuses on how organisms, organ systems, individual organs, cells, and biomolecules carry out the chemical a ...

. He pioneered the use of

heparin Heparin, also known as unfractionated heparin (UFH), is a medication and naturally occurring glycosaminoglycan. Since heparins depend on the activity of antithrombin, they are considered anticoagulants. Specifically it is also used in the treatm ...

as a blood anti-coagulant.

Early life

William Henry Howell was born on February 20, 1860, in

Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

. He graduated from the

Baltimore City College Baltimore City College, known colloquially as City, City College, and B.C.C., is a college preparatory school with a liberal arts focus and selective admissions criteria located in Baltimore, Maryland. Opened in October 1839, B.C.C. is the thir ...

high school in 1878. He was educated at

Johns Hopkins University Johns Hopkins University (Johns Hopkins, Hopkins, or JHU) is a private university, private research university in Baltimore, Maryland. Founded in 1876, Johns Hopkins is the oldest research university in the United States and in the western hem ...

, from which he graduated in 1881 with a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

. He taught at the

University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...

and at

Harvard Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

before becoming professor at Johns Hopkins in 1893. He received a

Doctor of Medicine Doctor of Medicine (abbreviated M.D., from the Latin language, Latin ''Medicinae Doctor'') is a medical degree, the meaning of which varies between different jurisdictions. In the United States, and some other countries, the M.D. denotes a profes ...

from the University of Michigan in 1890. He graduated with a PhD from Johns Hopkins in 1894. He also studied at Trinity College and the

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 15 ...

Career

Howell served as associate professor of physiology at Johns Hopkins in 1888 and 1889. He served as a full professor at the University of Michigan from 1889 to 1892. He then served as associate professor of physiology at

Harvard Medical School Harvard Medical School (HMS) is the graduate medical school of Harvard University and is located in the Longwood Medical Area of Boston, Massachusetts. Founded in 1782, HMS is one of the oldest medical schools in the United States and is consi ...

from 1892 to 1893. He then moved back to Johns Hopkins and remained there for the rest of his life. Howell was dean of the medical school from 1899 to 1911. He resigned that position to help William Henry Welch and others to establish the first graduate school of public health in the United States, the Johns Hopkins School of Hygiene and Public Health. He was Dean of the School of Hygiene (now Bloomberg School of Public Health) from 1926 to 1931. Howell served as chairman of the

National Research Council National Research Council may refer to: * National Research Council (Canada), sponsoring research and development * National Research Council (Italy), scientific and technological research, Rome * National Research Council (United States), part of ...

from 1932 to 1933. Howell contributed to the

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

''Journal of Physiology'', the ''Transactions of the

Royal Society The Royal Society, formally The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, is a learned society and the United Kingdom's national academy of sciences. The society fulfils a number of roles: promoting science and its benefits, re ...

'', the ''Johns Hopkins Biological Studies'', the ''Journal of Morphology'', and the ''Journal of Experimental Medicine''. He was associate editor of the ''American Journal of Physiology'' after 1898. He wrote ''Text-Book of Physiology'' (1905; fifth edition, 1913). And this was a standard text book for medical students for the next 50 years.

Personal life

Howell married Anne Janet Tucker. She predeceased Howell. They had two daughters and one son, Janet H., Mrs. Edward O. Hulburt and Roger. Howell died from a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which may tr ...

on February 6, 1945, at his home at 112 St. Dunstan's Road in Baltimore. He was buried at Druid Ridge Cemetery.

Notes

External links

* * *
National Academy of Sciences Biographical Memoir
1860 births 1945 deaths American medical writers American male non-fiction writers American physiologists American science writers Johns Hopkins University alumni Baltimore City College alumni University of Michigan Medical School alumni University of Michigan faculty Harvard University faculty Johns Hopkins University faculty Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health {{Maryland-stub

Early life

Career

Personal life

See also

Notes

External links