Herman P. Schwan, Bioelectricity

Herman P. Schwan

Herman P. Schwan is known by many as one of the Founding Fathers of Biomedical Engineering. He was born August 7th 1915 in Aachen Germany. Growing up in a poor household he still managed to graduate from one of the most prestigious high schools in Germany with high standings in 1934. He studies in a lab in Frankfurt during WWII and worked on improving old equipment to accurately measure the dielectric properties of tissues. After the war he was given an opportunity to work at the University of Pennsylvania where he spent the rest of his career. Herman P. Schwan passed away in 2005 but not before help create the field of bioengineering.



Research:
Dielectric Properties of Tissues
Schwan was interested in the electrical properties of cells. He looked at how cells suspended in a solution would be able to conduct electricity. He determined that at low frequencies that cells and tissues alike would be able to conduct some electricity. This helped explain electrical impulse propagation through nerve cells in the body, which were not well understood at the time.

So What?
Why should we care about this Schwan had? Turns out that this knowledge of the electrical properties of tissues helped lead the way for the creation of two medical devices that are in every hospital. Some Ph.D. students of Schwan developed the ultrasound and electrocardiography machine. These are two of the most common medical devices used today and without the research of Herman P. Schwan the medical industry would not be as it is today.