Allen Oldfather Whipple (September 2, 1881 – April 6, 1963) was an American surgeon who is known for the

pancreatic cancer Pancreatic cancer arises when cell (biology), cells in the pancreas, a glandular organ behind the stomach, begin to multiply out of control and form a Neoplasm, mass. These cancerous cells have the malignant, ability to invade other parts of ...

operation which bears his name (the Whipple procedure) as well as

Whipple's triad Whipple's triad is a collection of three signs (called Whipple's criteria) that suggests that a patient's symptoms result from hypoglycaemia that may indicate insulinoma. The essential conditions are symptoms of hypoglycaemia, low blood plas ...

. Whipple was born to missionary parents William Levi Whipple and Mary Louise Whipple (née Allen), in

Urmia Urmia (; ) is the largest city in West Azerbaijan Province of Iran. In the Central District of Urmia County, it is capital of the province, the county, and the district. The city is situated near the borders of Iran with Turkey and Iraq. ...

West Azerbaijan West Azerbaijan province () is one of the 31 provinces of Iran, provinces of Iran, whose capital and largest city is Urmia. It is in the Azerbaijan (Iran), northwest of the country, bordered by Turkey (Ağrı Province, Ağrı, Hakkâri Pr ...

, Iran. He attended

Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private Ivy League research university in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial ...

and received his M.D. from the

Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons The Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons (officially known as Columbia University Roy and Diana Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons) is the medical school of Columbia University, located at the Columbia University Irvin ...

(P&S) in 1908, and was licensed to practice medicine in the state of New York on February 4, 1910
NY License #10151
. He became a professor of surgery at P&S and Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center where he served from 1921 to 1946. He began work on the procedure for resection of the

pancreas The pancreas (plural pancreases, or pancreata) is an Organ (anatomy), organ of the Digestion, digestive system and endocrine system of vertebrates. In humans, it is located in the abdominal cavity, abdomen behind the stomach and functions as a ...

(pancreaticoduodenectomy) in 1935 and his original technique has since been modified greatly. In 1940, he shortened the procedure into a one-stage process. During his lifetime, Whipple performed 37 pancreaticoduodenectomies. He also is known for developing the diagnostic triad for

insulinoma An insulinoma is a tumour of the pancreas that is derived from beta cells and secretes insulin. It is a rare form of a neuroendocrine tumour. Most insulinomas are benign in that they grow exclusively at their origin within the pancreas, but a m ...

known as

. He supervised the surgical residency of Virginia Apgar, later advising her to pursue her medical career in the field of anaesthesiology because he knew that surgery depended on advancements in this field to progress, and he saw in Apgar the 'energy and ability' to make a significant contribution. Apgar later devised the

Apgar Score The Apgar score is a quick way for health professionals to evaluate the health of all newborns at 1 and 5 minutes after birth and in response to resuscitation. It was originally developed in 1952 by an anesthesiologist at Columbia University, ...

also at Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center, by which the health of newborns is evaluated to this day. Whipple was instrumental in founding the American Board of Surgery. He also was trustee of

and was a recipient of the 1958 Woodrow Wilson Award. Though he is not related to George Hoyt Whipple — who named

Whipple's disease Whipple's disease is a rare systemic infectious disease caused by the bacterium '' Tropheryma whipplei''. First described by George Hoyt Whipple in 1907 and commonly considered as a gastrointestinal disorder, Whipple's disease primarily causes ...

and discovered '' Tropheryma whipplei'' — the two were lifelong friends. The Science Building at Wooster School in

Danbury, Connecticut Danbury ( ) is a city in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States, located approximately northeast of New York City. Danbury's population as of 2020 was 86,518. It is the third-largest city in Western Connecticut, and the seventh-largest ...

, is named after Whipple, who served as President of Wooster's Board of Trustees when the school's founder, Rev. Aaron Coburn, died. In the later years of his life he lived in Show Low, Arizona.

References

Sources

*Whipple AO. Observations on radical surgery for lesions of the pancreas. Surg Gyn Obst 1946;82:62.
Whipple Website: Allen Oldfather WhippleWooster Chronology – Wooster School
{{DEFAULTSORT:Whipple, Allen Columbia Medical School faculty Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons alumni Princeton University alumni People from Urmia 1881 births 1963 deaths American expatriates in Iran 20th-century American surgeons