Allen Whipple

Who was Allen Whipple?

Allen Oldfather Whipple was an American surgeon who is known for the pancreatic cancer operation which bears his name as well as Whipple's triad.

Whipple was born to missionary parents William Levi Whipple and Mary Louise Whipple, in Urmia, West Azerbaijan, Iran. He attended Princeton University and received his M.D. from the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons in 1908, and was licensed to practice medicine in the state of New York on February 4, 1910. He became professor of surgery at Columbia University where he served from 1921 to 1946. He began work on the procedure for resection of the pancreas in 1935 and his original technique has since been modified greatly. In 1940, he shortened the procedure into a one-stage process. During his lifetime, Whipple performed 37 pancreaticoduodenectomies.

He also is known for developing the diagnostic triad for insulinoma known as Whipple's triad.