Hans Popper (24 November 1903 – 6 May 1988)[1] was an Austrian-born
pathologist,
hepatologist and teacher. Together with Dame
Sheila Sherlock, he is widely regarded as the founding father of
hepatology.[2] He is the namesake of the Hans Popper Hepatopathology Society, as well as the International Hans Popper Award and the Hans Popper Hepatopathology Society.[3][4][5]
Early life
Popper was born to Carl and Emilie Popper in
Vienna,
Austria, on 24 November 1903. His father was a prominent physician and, as a captain in the medical corps, was called to active army duty at the outbreak of World War I. Hans Popper received a classical education at the Akademische Gymnasium[6] and followed his father's footsteps by entering the Medical School of the
University of Vienna in 1922 and graduating in 1928.
Career
Popper spent his five postgraduate years in anatomical pathology and established a
biochemical laboratory,[7] which was a new field of medical research. He worked under the famous Viennese physician Professor
Hans Eppinger, under whose influence he developed his interest in hepatology. One of his main achievements of this period was the
creatinine clearance test to assess
renal function.[7] After
Austria's
Anschluß to the
Third Reich in 1938, Popper (who was Jewish) narrowly escaped arrest by boarding a flight to
Rotterdam, where he then boarded the SS New Amsterdam on her maiden voyage to
New York.[6] He received a research fellowship at the
Cook County Hospital in
Chicago and earned a Ph.D. in pathology at the
University of Illinois. He held a succession of senior positions at this institution, including Director of Pathology.[8] He became Scientific Director for the
Hektoen Institute for Medical Research and Professor of Pathology at
Northwestern University School of Medicine.[9] He was the driving force behind the founding of the
American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases, which first met in 1948. In 1957, he was appointed pathologist-in-chief at the
Mount Sinai Hospital in New York, succeeding
Paul Klemperer. There, he was pivotal in founding the
Mount Sinai School of Medicine, becoming its first dean. In 1973, he became the Gustave L. Levy Distinguished Service Professor and maintained this position until his death.
Publications
Popper authored and co-authored over 800 papers and 28 books, covering all areas of hepatology. Hans Popper: A Tribute, was written about Popper and released in 1991:
ISBN0881678333
Personal life
Popper's parents managed to avoid
Nazi persecution and joined him in Chicago. His father completed an internship and passed the Illinois State Board examination at the age of 77. Popper married a fellow expatriate, Lina Billig, in 1942. They had two sons,
Frank J. Popper and Charles. Hans Popper died of pancreatic cancer on 6 May 1988.
Honours
1928 MD, University of Vienna
1941 MS in Pathology, University of Illinois
1944 PhD in Pathology and Physiology, University of Illinois