- Edward D. Freis
Edward D. Freis (
May 13 ,1912 –February 1, 2005 ) was an American physician and researcher, who received theAlbert Lasker Award for his studies of the treatment ofhypertension . Born inChicago, Illinois toLithuania n immigrant parents, he had his eyes set on becoming an actor. After a few shows, however, he realized that acting was not for him, and he decided to be a doctor.Freis attended the
University of Arizona and theColumbia University medical school. After graduation he joined theUnited States Army Air Corps , working in the medical corps duringWorld War II .When the war ended, he met Doctor
Chester Keefer , who had donepenicillin trials. Freis decided that he wanted to become a researcher. He went to work for the United States Veterans Affairs Administration inWashington, DC , specializing in the study of hypertenstion. At the time, it was felt by the medical community thathigh blood pressure was a good thing, because it improved circulation. But Freis's studies, first published in theNew England Journal of Medicine in 1954 then later expanded in the 1960s, showed that hypertension actually increased the likelihood ofstroke and heart attack.He was awarded the Lasker Award for his studies, cited for "an exemplary demonstration of the potential of preventive medicine."
In 1957, Freis was appointed professor of medicine at
Georgetown University Medical Center. He was president of the Washington Heart Association and received an award of meritorious accomplishment from theAmerican Heart Association . In later years, he moved on to the study ofhemodynamics , the study of circulation.Publications
*"The High Blood Pressure Book", with Gina Kolata, 1979
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