- Born
- Died
- Birth nameWillem Johan Kolff
- Nickname
- Father of the Artificial Organ
- Willem Kolff was born on February 14, 1911 in Leiden, Zuid-Holland, Netherlands. He was married to Janke Huidekoper. He died on February 11, 2009 in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania, USA.
- SpouseJanke Huidekoper(1937 - 2000) (divorced, 5 children)
- Inventor of the modern kidney dialysis machine; chief designer of the first mechanical heart implanted in a person.
- Inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 1985.
- Built the first kidney dialysis machine.
- Built the first successful artificial heart.
- His wife reportedly divorced him because she could no longer stand his constant tinkering.
Contribute to this page
Suggest an edit or add missing content