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20th APS President (1948-1949)
Maurice B. Visscher
(1901-1983)
Maurice Visscher's presidency was the first to be limited to one year by
provisions of the bylaws. The same changes in the bylaws also provided for
the first president elect of the Society and the last elected secretary.
Visscher received Ph.D. and M.D. degrees from the University of Minnesota
(1925 and 1931). Between these degrees, in 1925-26, on leave of absence, he
worked with Professor Starling at University College, London, on the "law of
the heart" and cardiac oxygen consumption. Other academic appointments
included the University of Minnesota, the University of Chicago, the
University of Tennessee, the University of Southern California, and the
University of Illinois.
In 1936 he returned to the University of Minnesota as professor and
chairman of the Department of Physiology, a position he held for forty-one
years; on retiring as chairman in 1968, he became Regents' Professor of the
university. In addition to developing a prestigious department, Visscher was
active in extra-university activities. He was president of the Board of
Trustees of Biological Abstracts, president of the National Society
for Medical Research, and secretary general of IUPS.
Visscher became a member of APS in 1927. He served on Council (1940-50)
and as secretary (1947-48), as president (1948-49), and as member (1954-59)
and chairman (1956-59) of the Board of Publication Trustees. He was the
initiator of the Handbook of Physiology. Visscher was concerned with
social issues in general, especially with areas involving civil liberties,
and he had a well-deserved reputation as an effective and fearless activist.
Selected Publications
1. Brown, E. B., and E. H. Wood. Maurice B. Visscher. Physiologist
20(1): 1-2, 1977.
2. Fox, I. J. Maurice B. Visscher (1901-1983), scientist and
humanitarian. Physiologist 27: 1-3, 1984.
3. Visscher, M. B. Musings of a physiologist. Am. J. Physiol. 159:
556-560, 1949. [Past president's address.]
4. Visscher, M. B. A half century in science and society. Annu. Rev.
Physiol. 31: 1-18, 1969.
5. Visscher, M. B. A half century as a scientist-citizen. Physiologist
22(3): 15-21, 1979.
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