ASA January 2003 Newsletter

A giant of the second generation of anesthesiologists died on December 3, 2002, at the age of 87. Emanuel M. Papper, M.D., Ph.D., described himself and his contemporaries as the leaders who took the newly created specialty of anesthesiology and developed and further defined the specialty across the country. They were dubbed the “Joshua” generation, which followed the “Moses” generation of Drs. Waters, Rovenstine, Lundy, McMechan, Wood and others.

Emanuel M. Papper, M.D., Ph.D.

Among the many contributions Dr. Papper made, two stand out. Manny was one of the driving forces behind National Institutes of Health funding for anesthesiology research, which permitted the tremendous growth of anesthesia research since the 1960s. Without this funding, many of the innovations in the safety of anesthetics would not have happened. Dr. Papper also was one of the founding members of the Association of University Anesthesiologists, an organization that will celebrate its 50th anniversary this May.

Dr. Papper was born July 12, 1915, in the Harlem section of New York City and grew up in the greater New York area. He graduated second in his class from Columbia University during the Great Depression. Manny attended New York University (NYU) School of Medicine and trained under Emery A. Rovenstine, M.D., at the NYU/Bellevue program. A decorated veteran of World War II, Dr. Papper served with distinction in the European Theater of Operations as one of a handful of board-certified anesthesiologists. Returning from the war, Manny came back to New York City, Bellevue hospital and Dr. Rovenstine.

Over the next few years, Dr. Papper would leave Bellevue and become professor and chair at Columbia University. He was the first person to be simultaneously president of the New York State Society of Anesthesiologists and General Chairman of the Post Graduate Assembly. He was President of ASA in 1968 and a life member of the Society. Manny was a director of the American Board of Anesthesiology. He left Columbia and went to the University of Miami as one of the first anesthesiologists to be dean of a school of medicine.

Despite being a friend of presidents and kings, an acknowledged expert in anesthesiology, Manny returned to graduate school after retirement. He received his Ph.D. in English literature and produced one of the few books that attempts to explain the cultural milieu of the discovery of ether. Sitting in the rocking chair given him by John F. Kennedy, Manny was always ready and willing to help young scholars as they tried to advance the specialty of anesthesiology. He will be missed. Services were held at Temple Israel of greater Miami on Thursday, December 5, 2002.

return to top