Belding Hibbard Scribner (January 18, 1921 – June 19, 2003) was an American physician and a pioneer in

kidney dialysis Kidney dialysis is the process of removing excess water, solutes, and toxins from the blood in people whose kidneys can no longer perform these functions naturally. Along with kidney transplantation, it is a type of renal replacement therapy. ...

Biography

Scribner received his medical degree from

Stanford University Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University, is a Private university, private research university in Stanford, California, United States. It was founded in 1885 by railroad magnate Leland Stanford (the eighth ...

in 1945. After completing his postgraduate studies at the

Mayo Clinic Mayo Clinic () is a Nonprofit organization, private American Academic health science centre, academic Medical centers in the United States, medical center focused on integrated health care, healthcare, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science ...

in Rochester, Minnesota, he joined the faculty of the School of Medicine at the

University of Washington The University of Washington (UW and informally U-Dub or U Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington, United States. Founded in 1861, the University of Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast of the Uni ...

in 1951. Scribner was married to Ethel Hackett Scribner, and had four children from a previous marriage: Peter, Robert, Thomas and Elizabeth. In 1960, he, Wayne Quinton, and David Dillard invented a breakthrough device, the Scribner shunt. The device subsequently saved the lives of numerous people with end-stage

kidney disease Kidney disease, or renal disease, technically referred to as nephropathy, is damage to or disease of a kidney. Nephritis is an Inflammation, inflammatory kidney disease and has several types according to the location of the inflammation. Infla ...

around the globe. The first patient treated was Clyde Shields; due to treatment with the new shunt technique, he survived his chronic

kidney failure Kidney failure, also known as renal failure or end-stage renal disease (ESRD), is a medical condition in which the kidneys can no longer adequately filter waste products from the blood, functioning at less than 15% of normal levels. Kidney fa ...

for more than eleven years, dying in 1971. Scribner's invention created a new problem for clinical practice and a moral dilemma for physicians: Who will be treated if possible treatment is limited? The ethical issues raised by this dilemma are known as the Seattle experience. In 1964, Scribner's presidential address to the American Society for Artificial Internal Organs discussed the problems of patient selection, termination of treatment, patient suicide, death with dignity, and selection for transplantation. This experience with selecting who would receive dialysis is often recognized as the beginning of bioethics. To provide dialysis on a routine basis outside a research setting, Dr. Scribner turned to the King County Medical Society for sponsorship of a community-supported outpatient dialysis center. James Haviland, then president of the Society, worked to bring Scribner's vision to fruition. As a result, the Seattle Artificial Kidney Center was established in January 1962. Eventually renamed Northwest Kidney Centers, it was the world's first outpatient dialysis treatment center. Outpatient care has been the standard dialysis care delivery model worldwide since Scribner helped establish the Northwest Kidney Centers. In 2002, Scribner received the

Albert Lasker Award for Clinical Medical Research Albert may refer to: Companies * Albert Computers, Inc., a computer manufacturer in the 1980s * Albert Czech Republic, a supermarket chain in the Czech Republic * Albert Heijn, a supermarket chain in the Netherlands * Albert Market, a street mar ...

in 2002, together with

Willem J. Kolff Willem Johan "Pim" Kolff (February 14, 1911 – February 11, 2009) was a pioneer of hemodialysis, artificial heart, as well as in the entire field of artificial organs. Willem was a member of the Kolff family, an old Dutch patrician fa ...

. Scribner used a red canoe to commute from his houseboat to the hospital every day. He published many scientific papers and books up until his death on June 19, 2003, when a kayaker found his body floating near his houseboat; it was conjectured that he had lost his balance and drowned.Altman, Lawrence K.
"Dr. Belding H. Scribner, Medical Pioneer, Is Dead at 82".''New York Times''.
2003-06-22. Retrieved 2014-12-14.

References

External links

Northwest Kidney Centers

Scribner Courage in Health Care Award
{{DEFAULTSORT:Scribner, Belding H. American nephrologists American medical researchers Scribner, Belding H. Scribner, Belding H. Scribner, Belding H. Scribner, Belding H. Recipients of the Lasker–DeBakey Clinical Medical Research Award Members of the National Academy of Medicine