Christian James Lambertsen (May 15, 1917 – February 11, 2011) was an American medical researcher. He was a environmental medicine and diving medicine specialist who was principally responsible for developing the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

frogmen's

rebreather A rebreather is a breathing apparatus that absorbs the carbon dioxide of a user's exhaled breath to permit the rebreathing (recycling) of the substantial unused oxygen content, and unused inert content when present, of each breath. Oxygen is a ...

s in the early 1940s for underwater warfare. Lambertsen designed a series of rebreathers in 1940 (patent filing date: 16 Dec 1940) and in 1944 (patent issue date: 2 May 1944) and first called his invention ''breathing apparatus''. Later, after the war, he called it ''Laru'' (

acronym An acronym is a type of abbreviation consisting of a phrase whose only pronounced elements are the initial letters or initial sounds of words inside that phrase. Acronyms are often spelled with the initial Letter (alphabet), letter of each wor ...

for

Lambertsen Amphibious Respiratory Unit The Lambertsen Amphibious Respiratory Unit (LARU) is an early model of closed circuit oxygen rebreather used by military frogmen. Christian J. Lambertsen designed a series of them in the US in 1940 (patent filing date: 16 Dec 1940) and in 1944 ( ...

) and finally, in 1952, he changed his invention's name again to SCUBA (Self Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus). Although

diving regulator A diving regulator or underwater diving regulator is a pressure regulator that controls the pressure of breathing gas for underwater diving. The most commonly recognised application is to reduce pressurized breathing gas to ambient pressure and ...

technology was invented by

Émile Gagnan Émile Gagnan (1900 – 1984) was a French engineer and, in 1943, co-inventor with French Navy diver Jacques-Yves Cousteau of the Aqua-Lung, the diving regulator (a.k.a. demand-valve) used for the first Scuba equipment. The demand-valve, or re ...

and

Jacques-Yves Cousteau Jacques-Yves Cousteau, (, also , ; 11 June 191025 June 1997) was a French naval officer, oceanographer, filmmaker and author. He co-invented the first successful open-circuit self-contained underwater breathing apparatus (SCUBA), called the A ...

in 1943 and was unrelated to rebreathers, the current use of the word SCUBA is largely attributed to the Gagnan-Cousteau invention. The US Navy considers Lambertsen to be "the father of the Frogmen".

Education

Lambertsen was born in

Westfield, New Jersey Westfield is a Town (New Jersey), town in Union County, New Jersey, Union County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, located southwest of Manhattan. As of the 2020 United States census, the town's population was 31,032, an increase of 716 (+2.4% ...

, and raised in Scotch Plains, New Jersey, where he graduated from Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School in 1935; he was inducted into his high school's hall of fame in 2016. He attended

Rutgers University Rutgers University ( ), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a Public university, public land-grant research university consisting of three campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's C ...

New Brunswick, New Jersey New Brunswick is a city (New Jersey), city in and the county seat of Middlesex County, New Jersey, Middlesex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey."Christian Lambertsen, Inventor of Scuba Precursor, Dies at 93"
''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'', February 25, 2011. Accessed March 5, 2011. "Christian James Lambertsen was born in Westfield, N.J., on May 17, 1917, one of four children of Chris and Ellen Lambertsen." He graduated from University of Pennsylvania Medical School,

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

in 1943. Lambertsen was awarded an Honorary

Doctor of Science A Doctor of Science (; most commonly abbreviated DSc or ScD) is a science doctorate awarded in a number of countries throughout the world. Africa Algeria and Morocco In Algeria, Morocco, Libya and Tunisia, all universities accredited by the s ...

Degree from

Northwestern University Northwestern University (NU) is a Private university, private research university in Evanston, Illinois, United States. Established in 1851 to serve the historic Northwest Territory, it is the oldest University charter, chartered university in ...

in 1977.

Army career

Major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...

Lambertsen served in the U.S. Army Medical Corps from 1944 to 1946. He invented the first Self-contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus (SCUBA) and demonstrated it to the

Office of Strategic Services The Office of Strategic Services (OSS) was the first intelligence agency of the United States, formed during World War II. The OSS was formed as an agency of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) to coordinate espionage activities behind enemy lines ...

(OSS) (after already being rejected by the U.S. Navy) in a pool at a hotel in Washington, D.C. OSS not only bought into the concept, they hired Major Lambertsen to lead the program and build-up the dive element of their maritime unit. He was vital in establishing the first cadres of U.S. military operational combat swimmers during late

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. The OSS was also the predecessor of the

Central Intelligence Agency The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA; ) is a civilian foreign intelligence service of the federal government of the United States tasked with advancing national security through collecting and analyzing intelligence from around the world and ...

(CIA) and the maritime element still exists inside their Special Activities Division. His responsibilities included training and developing methods of combining self-contained diving and swimmer delivery including the

for the OSS "Operational Swimmer Group". Following World War II, he trained U.S. forces in methods for submerged operations, including composite fleet

submarine A submarine (often shortened to sub) is a watercraft capable of independent operation underwater. (It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability.) The term "submarine" is also sometimes used historically or infor ...

/ operational swimmers activity.

Civilian career

From 1946 to 1953, Lambertsen served on the faculty of the Department of Pharmacology at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, though he did spend a year as a Visiting Research Associate Professor from 1951 to 1952 for the Department of

Physiology Physiology (; ) is the science, scientific study of function (biology), functions and mechanism (biology), mechanisms in a life, living system. As a branches of science, subdiscipline of biology, physiology focuses on how organisms, organ syst ...

University College London University College London (Trade name, branded as UCL) is a Public university, public research university in London, England. It is a Member institutions of the University of London, member institution of the Federal university, federal Uni ...

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

. Lambertsen spent the 1950s concentrating on national research needs in undersea medicine (see National Service Activities below). He again took an appointment as Professor of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine in 1962. He was also named Professor of Medicine in 1972 and Professor at the University of Pennsylvania School of

Veterinary Medicine Veterinary medicine is the branch of medicine that deals with the prevention, management, medical diagnosis, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, disorder, and injury in non-human animals. The scope of veterinary medicine is wide, covering all a ...

in 1976. Each of these appointments were held until 1987. In 1985, he became

Emeritus ''Emeritus/Emerita'' () is an honorary title granted to someone who retires from a position of distinction, most commonly an academic faculty position, but is allowed to continue using the previous title, as in "professor emeritus". In some c ...

Distinguished Professor of Environmental Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. Lambertsen was the founder and director of The Environmental Biomedical Stress Data Center at the

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (Penn or UPenn) is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. One of nine colonial colleges, it was chartered in 1755 through the efforts of f ...

. The University of Pennsylvania's annual Christian J. Lambertsen Honorary Lecture is named for him. On May 31, 2007, the guest speaker was Professor Marc Feldmann, head of Imperial College's Kennedy Institute of Rheumatology who is recognised for his discovery of anti- TNF treatment for

rheumatoid arthritis Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a long-term autoimmune disorder that primarily affects synovial joint, joints. It typically results in warm, swollen, and painful joints. Pain and stiffness often worsen following rest. Most commonly, the wrist and h ...

. Dr. Lambertsen was in attendance.

Contributions to environmental medicine

Predictive Studies Series

Dr. Lambertsen's "Predictive Studies Series", spanning from 1969 with TEKTITE I to 1997, researched many aspects of humans in extreme environments.

Awards

University and national civilian awards and honors

* 1948–195
John and Mary R. Markle
Scholar in Medical Science * 1965 University of Pennsylvania Alumni Award of Merit * 1967 Lindback Award for Distinguished Teaching * 1969 NASA Commendation * 197
Aerospace Medical Association
Award * 1970 Undersea Medical Society Award * 197
Marine Technology Society
Award for Ocean Science and Engineering * 197
Underwater Society of America
Award for Science * 1974 New York Academy of Sciences Award for Research in Environmental Science * 1977 Member,

National Academy of Engineering The National Academy of Engineering (NAE) is an American Nonprofit organization, nonprofit, NGO, non-governmental organization. It is part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM), along with the National Academ ...

* 1977 Doctor of Science Honorary Degree,

* 1977 Fellow
College of Physicians of Philadelphia
* 1978 Distinguished Award for Individuals, Offshore Technology Conference * 1979 Award in Environmental Science, Aerospace Medical Association * 1979 Award for Naval Undersea Research Training, Undersea Medical Society * 198
Association of Diving Contractors
Award * 1984 Endowed Visiting Lectureship, Sterling Pharmaceutical Corporation * 1989 Distinguished Medical Graduate Award, University of Pennsylvania * 1992 Boerema Award, Hyperbaric Oxygen Research,

Undersea and Hyperbaric Medical Society The Undersea and Hyperbaric Medical Society (UHMS) is an organization based in the US which supports research on matters of hyperbaric medicine and physiology, and provides a certificate of added qualification for physicians with an unrestricted li ...

* 199
UDT-SEAL Association
Lifetime Achievement Award * 1995 Department of Defense Citation * 1997 UDT-SEAL Association: Honorary Lifetime Membership * 1998 US Army Special Forces tab and Green Beret, formally inducted into 1st Special Forces Regiment US Army * 1999 Beneath the Sea: Lifetime Achievement Award * 2001 Pioneer Award �
Navy Historical Society
* 2001 CJL Oxygen Symposium X, Undersea and Hyperbaric Medical Society * 2007 American College of Physicians Fellowship Award 2007 * 2010 The John Scott Award, City of Philadelphia

Military service and related awards

* 1945

Legion of Merit The Legion of Merit (LOM) is a Awards and decorations of the United States military, military award of the United States Armed Forces that is given for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievemen ...

, U.S. Army * 1945 Major General

William J. Donovan William Joseph "Wild Bill" Donovan (January 1, 1883 – February 8, 1959) was an American soldier, lawyer, intelligence officer and diplomat. He is best known for serving as the head of the Office of Strategic Services (OSS), the precursor to ...

, U.S.A., Director, Office of Strategic Services * 1945 Lt. Colonel H. Q. A. Reeves, British Army * 1945 Lt. Commander Derek A. Lee, R.N.V.R., Burma * 1945 Colonel Sylvester C. Missal, M.C., U.S.A., Chief Surgeon, Office of Strategic Services * 1945 Commander H. G. A. Wooley, D.S.C., R.N., Director, Maritime Unit, Office of Strategic Services * 1946 Presidential Unit Citation, O.S.S. Unit 101, Burma, Dwight D. Eisenhower * 1946 U.S. Army Commendation Ribbon, Citation from Major General Norman Kirk, M.C., Surgeon General, U.S. Army * 1946 Admiral J. F. Farley, Commandant, U.S. Coast Guard * 1946 Colonel H. W. Doan, M.C., Executive Officer, Surgeon General's Office, U.S. Army * 1947 Colonel George W. Read Jr., President, U.S. Army Ground Forces, Board No. 2 * 1948 General Jacob L. Devers, U.S.A. Commanding General, U.S. Army Ground Forces * 1969 Meritorious Civilian Service Award, Secretary of the Navy * 1969 Military Oceanography Award, Secretary of the Navy * 1972 Department of Defense Distinguished Public Service Award * 1972 Secretary of the Navy Certificate of Commendation for Advisory Service, Committee on Undersea Warfare, National Academy of Sciences * 1976 Distinguished Public Service Award, United States Coast Guard * 1978 Certificate of Commendation for Outstanding Service on Secretary of the Navy Oceanographic Advisory Committee * 1995 British Embassy Citation * 1995 U.S. Army Special Forces Underwater Operations School Award: Lifetime Achievement * 1996 U.S. Special Forces Green Beret Award * 2001 U.S. Special Operations Command Medal * 2005 US Chief of Naval Operations Citation

National service activities

* 1953–1960, 1962–1971 Committee on Naval Medical Research, National Research Council * 1953–1972 Committee on Undersea Warfare, National Research Council * 1953–1956 Chairman, Panel on Underwater Swimmers, Committee on Undersea Warfare, National Research Council * 1954–1960 Chairman, Panel on Shipboard and Submarine Medicine, Committee on Naval Medicine Research, National Research Council * 1954–1961 Advisory Panel on Medical Sciences, Office of Assistant Secretary of Defense, R and E * 1955–1959 Consultant, U.S. Army Chemical Corps * 1959–1961 Consultant, Scientific Advisory Board, U.S. Air Force * 1960–1962 Chairman, Committee on Man-in-Space, Space Science Board,

National Academy of Sciences The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) is a United States nonprofit, NGO, non-governmental organization. NAS is part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, along with the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) and the ...

* 1960–1962 Member, Space Science Board, National Academy of Sciences * 1962–1980 Consultant, Space Science Board, National Academy of Sciences * 1967–1970 Member, President's Space Panel, PSAC * 1968–1977 Oceanographic Advisory Committee, Office of Secretary of the Navy * 1972 Consultant to the Diving Physiology and Technology Panel, U.S.-Japan Cooperative Program in Natural Resources, U.S. Department of the Interior * 1972–1977 Biomedical Sciences Advisor,

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA ) is an American scientific and regulatory agency charged with Weather forecasting, forecasting weather, monitoring oceanic and atmospheric conditions, Hydrography, charting the seas, ...

, U.S. Dept. of Commerce * 1973–1977 Member, The Marine Board,

* 1973 Member, Smithsonian Advisory Board * 1983 Chairman, Environmental Sciences Review Committee,

National Aeronautics and Space Administration The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agency of the US federal government responsible for the United States's civil space program, aeronautics research and space research. Established in 1958, it su ...

(NASA) * 1983–1986 National Undersea Research Center Advisory Board, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration * 1983–1985 Space Medicine Advisory Panel, National Aeronautics and Space Administration * 1984–1986 Lunar Base Planning Group, National Aeronautics and Space Administration * 1989–1991 NASA Radiation and Environmental Health Working Group * 1991–1993 NASA Life Sciences Division Environmental Biomedical Sciences Working Group * 1992 NASA Life Sciences. Science and Technical Requirements Document for Space Station Freedom * 1993 NASA JSC Medical Advisory Board,

Hubble Space Telescope The Hubble Space Telescope (HST or Hubble) is a space telescope that was launched into low Earth orbit in 1990 and remains in operation. It was not the Orbiting Solar Observatory, first space telescope, but it is one of the largest and most ...

Repair EVA * 1995 NASA JSC "In-Suit" Doppler Panel * 1998 Chairman, NASA Advisory Panel, Committee on ISS Decompression Risk Definition & Contingency Plan * 1998–1999 Chairman, NASA Life Sciences Decompression Research Peer Reviews

Bibliography

Refereed journals

* * * * * * * * * * * * Lambertsen, C. J. Physiologic factors in human organ oxygen tolerance extension. SPUMS 20(2): 109–120, April–May 1990. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Gelfand, R., C.J. Lambertsen, J.M. Clark, N. Egawa and C.D. Puglia. Ventilatory and cardiac adjustments during rapid compressions to pressure equivalents of 400-800-1200-1600 feet of sea water. Med. Aeronaut. Spatiale Med. Subaquat. Hyperbare. 17(65): 114–116, 1978. * Lambertsen, C.J., J.P.W. Cunnington and J.R.M. Cowley. The dynamics and composition of spontaneous, continuous gas embolism in the pig during isobaric gas counterdiffusion. Fed. Proc. 34: 452, 1975. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Lambertsen, C.J., and R.W. Bullard (eds.). Temperature limitations in manned undersea and aerospace operations. Aerospace Med. 41: 1263–1288, 1970. * * * Lambertsen, C.J. (ed.). Modern aspects of treatment of decompression sickness. Aerospace Med. 39: 1055–1093, 1968. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Lambertsen, C.J. Problems of shallow water diving. Report based on experiences of operational swimmers of the Office of Strategic Services. Occup. Med. 3: 230–245, 1947. * Lambertsen, C.J., and L. Godfrey. A small efficient hood for oxygen therapy. J.A.M.A. 125: 492–493, 1944. * Lambertsen, C.J. A diving apparatus for life saving work. J.A.M.A. 116: 1387–1389, 1941. * Atkinson, W.J. Jr., J.L. Dean, E.H. Kennerdell and C.J. Lambertsen. A multiple anomaly of the human heart and pulmonary veins. Anat. Record 78(3): 383–388, 1940.

Patents

* 1944 for Use Under Water * 1944 for Use Under Water * 1947 * 1948 for Use Under Water * 1952 for Breathing Apparatus * 1957 for Oxygen Rebreathing Apparatus * 1959 for use Under Water * 1974 * 1974 for Underwater Work and Oil Trapping * 1989

References

External links

Lambertsen Publications

National Academy of Engineering listing

The Environmental Biomedical Stress Data Center Brochure

* ttp://www.therebreathersite.nl/Zuurstofrebreathers/USA/photos_lambertsen.htm Images of his rebreather
New York Times Obituary
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lambertsen, Christian J. 1917 births 2011 deaths American medical researchers United States Army personnel of World War II American underwater divers Underwater diving engineers People from Scotch Plains, New Jersey People from Westfield, New Jersey Recipients of the Legion of Merit Rutgers University alumni Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School alumni United States Army Medical Corps officers Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania alumni University of Pennsylvania faculty Members of the United States National Academy of Engineering Military personnel from Union County, New Jersey