Forssmann, Werner, << FAWRS mahn, VEHR nuhr >> (1904-1979), a German surgeon and urologist, shared the 1956 Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine for his work on cardiac catheterization. This diagnostic technique involves the insertion of a small tube into a vein through which it reaches the heart. In 1929, he pioneered this technique by performing the operation on himself. He inserted a tube into a vein in his arm and pushed until the tube reached his heart. Catheterization is used to measure blood pressure in the heart, to draw off blood samples, and to decide what part of the heart is defective and whether or not to operate. Forssmann was born in Berlin, Germany, on Aug. 29, 1904. He studied medicine at Friedrich Wilhelm University in Berlin. His experiments were criticized by other scientists who thought they were unethical. Forssmann served as an army surgeon during World War II (1939-1945) and returned to private practice after the war. He died on June 1, 1979.
