| Robert J. White | |
|---|---|
| Born | Robert Joseph White January 21, 1926 Duluth, Minnesota, U.S. |
| Died | September 16, 2010 (aged 84) Geneva Township, Ashtabula County, Ohio, U.S. |
| Nationality | American |
| Education | University of St. Thomas (B.S., 1951) Harvard Medical School (M.D., 1953) University of Minnesota (Ph.D., Neurosurgery, 1962) |
| Occupation | Neurosurgeon |
| Religion | Roman Catholic |
Robert Joseph White (January 21, 1926 – September 16, 2010) was an American surgeon, best known for his head transplants on monkeys.
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White was raised in Duluth, Minnesota, by his mother and an aunt. His father was killed in combat while serving in the Pacific theater during World War II.[1]
White began his undergraduate studies at the University of St. Thomas before entering the University of Minnesota Medical School in 1949; he later transferred to Harvard Medical School in 1951, where he earned his medical degree cum laude in 1953.[2]
Throughout his career, White performed over 10,000 surgical operations and authored more than 900 publications on clinical neurosurgery, medical ethics, and health care.[2] He received honorary doctorates from John Carroll University (Doctor of Science, 1979), Cleveland State University (Doctor of Science, 1980), Walsh University (Doctor of Humane Letters, 1996), and University of St. Thomas (Doctor of Sciences, 1998).[3]
White had ten children with his wife, Patricia Murray, a nurse whom he met at Peter Bent Brigham Hospital while completing his surgical internship and residency. A devout Roman Catholic, White was a member of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences. He attended mass regularly and prayed before performing surgeries.[1] White died at his home in Geneva on September 16, 2010, aged 84, after suffering from diabetes and prostate cancer.[1]
In the 70's, after a long series of experiments, White performed a transplant of one monkey head onto the body of another monkey, although it lasted just a few days. These operations were continued and perfected to the point where the transplanted head could have survived indefinitely on its new body, though the animals were in fact euthanized.
For 40 years, White was a neurological surgery professor for Case Western Reserve University medical school.