Max Harry Weil, MD, PhD, ScD (Hon) died on July 29, 2011 at his home in Rancho Mirage surrounded by family. He was 84.
Dr. Weil was Founding President of the Weil Institute for Critical Care Medicine, which was founded in 1961 at the University of California School of Medicine. The Institute’s predecessor in 1959 created the nation’s first cardiovascular resuscitation ward.
Born on February 9, 1927, in Baden, Switzerland to Gretl and Marcel Weil, he was raised in Stuttgart, Germany and came to New York City at the age of 10. He attended the Bronx High School of Science and the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. He completed his medical degree at the State University of New York College of Medicine in Brooklyn and received his doctorate at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester.
Dr. Weil’s work in the hospital and laboratory contributed to a long list of insights that led to the dramatic improvement in survival of people with severe infections, congestive heart failure and trauma. He also helped understand, refine and popularize cardiopulmonary resuscitation. He made CPR classes accessible for the community and brought defibrillators into stores, restaurants and country clubs.
Dr. Weil was a founding member of the Society of Critical Care Medicine and served as its first president, from 1970 to 1972. He is thought to have coined the term “critical care” to describe the suite of expertise and equipment required to save patients in grave condition. The latest of his more than 500 research papers was published online in April and appears this month in the journal Resuscitation.
He is survived by his wife Marianne, his daughters Susan and Carol, and four granddaughters.