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Willem J. Kolff papers, 1935-2009

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Kolff, Willem J., 1912-2009
Title
Willem J. Kolff papers
Dates
1935-2009 (inclusive)
Quantity
362.25 linear feet
Collection Number
MS 0654
Summary
THIS COLLECTION IS RESTRICTED. The Willem Johan Kolff papers (1935-2009) contain materials that record the many artificial organ projects, from early dialysis to the first artificial heart implant, as well as the personal life of one of the world's most respected pioneering doctors. Kolff was a distinguished professor of surgery at the University of Utah, a medical researcher specializing in artificial organs, and a developer of the first permanent artificial heart implanted in a human (1982). Approval to view this collection must come from the Associate Dean of Special Collections.
Repository
University of Utah Libraries, Special Collections
Special Collections, J. Willard Marriott Library
University of Utah
295 South 1500 East
Salt Lake City, UT
84112-0860

Telephone: 8015818863
special@library.utah.edu
Access Restrictions

THIS COLLECTION IS RESTRICTED. Approval to view this collection must come from the Associate Dean of Special Collections. Please contact the Manuscript Department for further information.

Languages
English, Dutch, Flemish
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Historical Note

Dr. Willem Johan Kolff has been an internationally-known name in the world of medicine since 1957 when he began working on the total artificial heart at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio. Known as the "Father of Artificial Organs", his pioneering spirit actually led him to make giant leaps in medicine long before he was so well-known.

Born February 14, 1911, in Leyden, The Netherlands, Dr. Kolff went to the University of Groningen for his residency in medicine during the German occupation. He started working on the artificial kidney in 1939, and became the first internist at a small hospital in Kampen, where he continued the work on the artificial kidney. The rotating drum kidney was developed in 1941, and by 1955 the twin-coil kidney had led to the possibility of dialysis worldwide. Work on the heart-lung machines began in 1948, and the first membrane oxygenators were used successfully in patients in 1955.

Dr. Kolff and his wife Janke had five children who were all born in the Netherlands. They immigrated to the United States in 1950. Here Dr. Kolff worked in the Research Department and the Department of Surgery of the Cleveland Clinic. He worked on the artificial kidney, the heart lung machine, and invented the total artificial heart in 1957, one year after becoming a United States citizen. He became Scientific Director of Cleveland's Artificial Organ program, then moved to Utah in 1967 to direct the Division of Artificial Organs and the Institute for Biomedical Engineering at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City.

At the Division of Artificial Organs and the Institute for Biomedical Engineering, Dr. Kolff was in charge of teams working on artificial kidneys, artificial hearing, the artificial eye, artificial arm, the subcutaneous peritoneal access device, and the artificial heart. In 1982 Dr. Barney Clark received the first "permanent artificial heart" implanted in a human. This event made the University of Utah known throughout the world as the leader in artificial organ research.

Dr. Kolff has received more than a hundred awards, among these the prestigious Japan Prize in 1986. He has published more than six hundred articles. He has been active in social issues such as abortion rights and nuclear weapon protests, and has always been interested in nature and art.

Since 1982 Dr. Kolff has been Distinguished Professor of Medicine and Surgery, and Research Professor of Engineering and Director of his Lab, where he works to perfect the artificial heart. The main aim of Dr. Kolff's endeavors has been to restore impaired people to an enjoyable existence. He has done this with the artificial kidney, and believes it will soon be possible for people with the artificial heart.

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Content Description

THIS COLLECTION IS RESTRICTED.

The collection is comprised of materials that record the many artificial organ projects, from early dialysis to the first artificial heart implant, as well as the personal life of one of the world's most respected pioneering doctors.

The collection contains 705 boxes, and has been divided into 11 sections. The first section contains personal and biographical materials, including information about the Kolff family, family business, and social issues of interest to Dr. Kolff.

The next five sections contain materials from the major artificial organ projects in which Dr. Kolff was involved: kidney, heart, eye, ear, arm, and other organs. Each section contains grant proposals, contracts, reports, patents, correspondence, articles, records of meetings and speeches, and patient files.

Section VII chronicles the development of first the Division of Artificial Organs at the Cleveland Clinic, then at the University of Utah. Included are the records of the Institute for Biomedical Engineering. Again this section contains grant proposals, contracts, reports, correspondence, articles, and records of meetings and speeches.

Section VIII contains all other material dealing with artificial organs in general, such as articles and speeches dealing with artificial organs development and issues.

Section IX contains the records of Dr. Kolff's companies: Kolff Associates, which became Kolff Medical and then evolved into Symbion. Information on other companies is found within their specialized area, such as Motion Control in the Artificial Arm section.

Section X contains records of all personnel. Staff members from various projects are included, as are doctors, visiting faculty, and students. Notes from meetings among these individuals are included in this section.

Section XI consists of oversized material such as posters, and miscellaneous subject files dealing with various topics of interest to Dr. Kolff.

In 2005 109 more boxes were added and contain various papers and articles about Kolff and his work. Another addendum was received in 2012.

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Use of the Collection

Restrictions on Use

The library does not claim to control copyright for all materials in the collection. An individual depicted in a reproduction has privacy rights as outlined in Title 45 CFR, part 46 (Protection of Human Subjects). For further information, please review the J. Willard Marriott Library’s Use Agreement and Reproduction Request forms.

Preferred Citation

Collection Name, Collection Number, Box Number, Folder Number. Special Collections, J. Willard Marriott Library, The University of Utah.

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Administrative Information

Separated Materials

Photographs (P0343) and audio-visual materials (A0333) transferred to the Multimedia Division of Special Collections.

Acquisition Information

Donated by Willem J. Kolff (boxes 1-116) in 1989.

Donated by Willem J. Kolff (boxes 117-705) in 1990 and 2005.

Donated by Dr. Therus C. Kolff (boxes 706-708 and map-case folder) in 2012.

Processing Note

Processed by Tony Pori, Kris Kofford, and Jennifer Breaden Swedish in 1993.

Addendum processed by Jennifer Sessions in 2006.

Addendum processed by Betsey Welland in 2012.

Addendum processed by Nicholas J. Mecham in 2019.

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Detailed Description of the Collection

Finding aid prepared by Tony Pori, Kris Kofford, Jennifer Breaden Swedish and Nicholas J. Mecham.
1993 (last modified: 2006, 2012 and 2019)

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