Constructed from orange juice cans, repurposed automobile components, and sausage casings, the first working prototype of an artificial kidney emerged in 1943. This rudimentary device, built by physician Willem Johan Kolff during the German occupation of the Netherlands, eventually revolutionized internal medicine and established the foundation for modern life-saving hemodialysis treatments across the globe.
Wartime Innovation and Early Medical Career
Born in 1911 in Leiden, Kolff completed his medical studies at Leiden University before serving as a resident at Groningen University. During his early clinical practice, he witnessed a patient perish from chronic kidney failure, which catalyzed his research into mechanical renal replacement. While living in Kampen during the Second World War, Kolff managed a dual life: he was an active member of the Dutch resistance and a determined inventor. In 1940, he established the first blood bank in Europe. Despite significant wartime constraints, he successfully treated his first patient with his hemodialysis machine in 1945, a milestone for which he received a PhD summa cum laude from the University of Groningen in 1946.
Transition to the United States
Following the war, Kolff actively distributed his dialysis machines to hospitals in cities including London and Amsterdam. His technology reached New York City’s Mount Sinai Hospital, facilitating the first human dialysis procedure in the United States in 1948. Seeking further research opportunities, Kolff emigrated to the US in 1950, securing citizenship five years later. At the Cleveland Clinic, he contributed to the development of heart-lung machines. Later, working with funding from real estate developer David Rose at Brigham and Women's Hospital, he developed the Kolff Brigham Artificial Kidney, which was mass-produced to assist those suffering from kidney disease.
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In 1967, Kolff joined the University of Utah to lead the Division of Artificial Organs and the Institute for Biomedical Engineering. His laboratory fostered breakthroughs in synthetic organ technology, most notably the artificial heart. In 1982, he oversaw the first implantation of a permanent artificial heart in patient Barney Clark, who survived for four months. Throughout his career, Kolff remained a dedicated university teacher and researcher, influencing figures such as Robert Jarvik and Theodor Kolobow. He was a member of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
Humanitarian Legacy and Honors
Beyond his engineering achievements, Kolff was recognized for his wartime humanitarian efforts. In 2012, Yad Vashem bestowed upon him and his wife the title of Righteous Among the Nations for concealing a Jewish medical colleague and his son during the Holocaust. His scientific contributions garnered extensive international acclaim, including the 1986 Japan Prize, the 1980 Wilhelm Exner Medal, and the 2002 Lasker-DeBakey Clinical Medical Research Award. Kolff died in Delaware County in 2009 at the age of 97, leaving a legacy that remains central to the field of modern internal medicine.
Fast facts
- Born: 1911, Leiden, Netherlands
- Died: 2009, Delaware County, United States
- Key Invention: Hemodialysis machine (1943)
- Artificial Heart Implantation: 1982
- Residency Training: Groningen University
- Righteous Among the Nations: 2012
- Japan Prize: 1986
- National Inventors Hall of Fame: 1985
Questions readers ask
What materials did Kolff use for his first dialysis machine?
He constructed the prototype using orange juice cans, automobile parts, and sausage casings.
When was the first artificial heart implanted?
The first permanent artificial heart developed under Kolff's guidance was implanted in 1982.
Did Kolff work in both the Netherlands and the US?
Yes, he conducted his early research in the Netherlands before emigrating to the United States in 1950.
Achievements
- Righteous Among the Nations — 2012
- Japan Prize — 1986
- Harvey Prize — 1972
- Wilhelm Exner Medal — 1980
- Worked as physician, internist and university teacher
- Educated at University of Groningen and Leiden University
