HANS SELYE - Physician, designer of stress theory

January 26, 1907, Vienna – October 16, 1982, Montreal

Physician, designer of stress theory

Hans (János) Selye studied medicine at the German university in Prague, and then in Paris and Rome. He became a physician in 1929 and chose a career in research. In 1929, he joined the staff of the Institute of Pathology in Prague, and then moved to the United States in 1931 on receiving a Rockefeller Foundation scholarship. Later, he moved to Canada where he taught biochemistry at McGill University in Montreal.

He was a professor at the Institute of Experimental Medicine and Surgery at the University of Montreal from 1945 to 1976, also serving as general adviser for surgery to the United States Armed Forces. In 1976, he became president of the International Institute for Stress Research.

Janos Selye’s work included numerous areas of physiology. He was concerned with endocrinology, cardiac cell death, the problem of steroid anaesthesia and hormone regulation. Selye is best known for his stress theory.

Hans Selye held honorary doctorates at 18 universities, was a member of the Canadian Academy of Sciences and 43 scientific societies, was declared an honorary citizen of many cities and countries, and held many high-ranking awards. He wrote a number of books including The Stress of Life, From Dream to Discovery, In Vivo: The Case for Supramolecular Biology, and Stress without Distress.

Janos Selye, Hans Selye, physician, stress theory