]> ms.95 Kouwenhoven (William Bennett) l886-l975 Papers l902-1976 Ms. 95 Cynthia H. Requardt Special Collections, The Milton S. Eisenhower Library, The Johns Hopkins University
3400 N. Charles Street Baltimore, MD 21218 USA Phone: (410) 516-8323
Machine-readable finding aid encoded by Diwakar Bhandari Finding aid written in English Kouwenhoven (William Bennett) l886-l975 Papers l902-1976 Ms. 95 Special CollectionsThe Milton S. Eisenhower Library The Johns Hopkins University Contact Information Special Collections The Milton S. Eisenhower Library The Johns Hopkins University 3400 North Charles Street Baltimore, MD 21218 (410) 516-8323 Cynthia H. Requardt May l987 Diwakar Bhandari

©2003 The Johns Hopkins University

 Descriptive Summary Ms. 95 Kouwenhoven (William Bennett) l886-l975 Papers l902-1976 Kouwenhoven, William Bennett, l886-l975 Johns Hopkins University. Special Collections 8 document boxes l flat box l linear foot of films (5 linear feet) English The papers (l902-76) consist of student notebooks, research data, correspondence, reprints, lecture notes, photographs and films. Kouwenhoven received his training in electrical engineering from the Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn and from the Technischule, Karlsruhe in Baden, Germany. He kept many of his student notebooks and laboratory workbooks (50 items l902-ll). These are in Boxes l-4 and his dissertation is in Box 4. There is a photograph album apparently dating from his student days in New York in Box 9 along with his diplomas. Dr. Kouwenhoven is most well known for his research in the area of electrical ventricular defibrillation. In 1928 he joined a team of researchers headed by Dr. W.H. Howell studying this subject. Dr. Kouwenhoven and Dr. Orthello Langworthy concentrated on the effects of electric shock on ventricular defibrillation. Kouwenhoven pursued this research for the remainder of his career, and the papers in this collection deal largely with this research. Included are laboratory data, printed material on electric shock, correspondence, photographic negatives and films, and papers and lecture notes by Kouwenhoven. An early field of research for Kouwenhoven was magnetic tests on drills. He studied this during the period 1921-24, and the collection contains reports, correspondence, patent information, and a paper by Kouwenhoven on the subject. Kouwenhoven was the recipient of many awards and certificates, and these along with congratulatory letters are in Administrative Information Provenance

The papers were donated to the Milton S. Eisenhower Library in December l983 by William Kouwenhoven, son of the creator of the papers. A related group of Kouwenhoven's papers are housed at the Alan Mason Chesney Medical Archives of the Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions.

Use Restrictions

Access to the papers is unrestricted.

Permission to publish material from this collection must be requested in writing from the Manuscripts Librarian, Milton S. Eisenhower Library, The Johns Hopkins University, 3400 North Charles Street, Baltimore, Md. 21218.

 Preferred Citation

William B. Kouwenhoven Papers Ms. 95 Special Collections Milton S. Eisenhower Library The Johns Hopkins University

Biographical Note

William Bennett Kouwenhoven (l886-l975) was an electrical engineer. He received his E.E. and M.E. from the Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn, New York (l906, l907) and a Dr.Ing. from the Technischule, Karlsruhe, Baden, Germany (l9l3). He spent his entire career at Hopkins. He was a professor of electrical engineering from l9l4-54 and served as Dean of the School of Engineering from l938 until l953. Because of his work with electrical ventricular defibrillation, Kouwenhoven held the position of lecturer in Surgery at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine from l956 until l975.

Description of Series/Container List Biographical Material Series Biographical Material Series

Box Contents 1 Correspondence Edison medal 1959-61 congratulations 1969-70 1 awards, certificates, 1950-72 Student Notebooks Series Student Notebooks Series

Box Contents 2 Polytechnic Institute, 1902-7 2 Technischule Karlsruhe, 1910-11 3 Technischule Karlsruhe, 1910-11 4 Technischule Karlsruhe, 1910-11 4 dissertation, 1914 4 unidentified notebooks Research Material Series Research Material Series

Box Contents 5 permeater circuit, 1923 5 magnetic tests on drills, 1921-24 5 electro-shock, 1928-40s 6 electro-shock, 1940s-60s 6 defibrillator, 1950s-70s 7 defibrillator, l950s-70s Writings Series Writings Series

Box Contents 5 permeater circuit, 1923 8 lectures, 1903, 1940s-60s 8 photograph album ,New York, l906 Photograph/Film Series Photograph/Film Series

Box Contents 9 photographic negatives, 1950s-60s 9 closed chest defibrillator circuit diagram 9 diplomas 9 Thomas Alva Edison film (from lecture) 9 Films Pole Top Rescue To Save a Life Life in Your Hands Closed Chest Cardiac Massage, 3 items Experimental External Heart Massage Dog V.F. 1/2, l, l 1/2, & 2 Closed Chest" (defibrillator) Hopkins Defibrillator 1961 Open Chest Fibrillation & Defibrillation Kouwenhoven and Joe Spinzia Bob Jones November l4, l959