Kurt Benirschke
| Kurt Benirschke, M.D. | |
|---|---|
| Born |
May 26, 1924 Glückstadt, Germany |
| Residence | San Diego, United States |
| Citizenship | American |
| Fields | Pathology Genetics Conservation |
| Alma mater | University of Hamburg |
| Known for | Expert on the placenta and reproduction in humans and animals Created the research program at San Diego Zoo Created the Frozen Zoo |
Kurt Benirschke (born May 26, 1924) is a German-born American pathologist, geneticist and expert on the placenta and reproduction in humans and myriad mammalian species.
Benirschke grew up in Glückstadt, a small town in northern Germany. He received his M.D. degree from the University of Hamburg. He immigrated to the United States in 1949.
After an internship in New Jersey, he trained in pathology at university hospitals affiliated with Harvard Medical School in Boston. In 1955, he became pathologist of the Boston Lying-in Hospital, now part of the Brigham and Women's Hospital, and there developed his interest in the placenta and reproductive problems.
From 1960 to 1970 he was the chairman of the department of pathology at Dartmouth Medical School in Hanover, New Hampshire and pursued his interests in placental pathology and comparative reproductive pathology. He there developed a passion for comparative cytogenetics, discovering the reason for the sterility of mules and investigating twinning in armadillos and marmosets.
In 1970, Benirschke moved west to participate in the development of a new medical school of the University of California, San Diego (UCSD). He established a genetics laboratory and ran the autopsy service at UCSD. He also chaired the department of pathology for two years.
In 1976, Benirschke persuaded the Board of Trustees of the San Diego Zoo to establish a formal research department. Benirschke led this new research department, which was named the Center for the Reproduction of Endangered Species, until 1987 when he became a member of the Zoo's Board of Trustees. He set up a laboratory at the Zoo to study the chromosomes of mammals, particularly aspects relating to reproduction and evolution. In collaboration with T.C. Hsu he published an Atlas of Mammalian Chromosomes presenting the karyotypes of 400 different species of mammals.
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