William Parry Murphy Jr. (November 11, 1923 – November 30, 2023) was an American physician and inventor of medical devices including collaborating on a flexible sealed blood bag used for blood transfusions. He was the son of the American physician William Parry Murphy who shared the Nobel Prize in Physiology for Medicine in 1934,[1] and Harriett Adams, the first licensed female dentist in Massachusetts.[2]
Murphy holds 17 U.S. patents issued between 1952 and 1980.
Patent #
Year Issued
Description
2,596,819
1952
Change Speed Apparatus
2,649,299
1953
Spring Scale
2,876,496
1959
Process for Making Tubes
3,013,656
1961
Disposable Medical Trays
3,033,038
1962
Surgical Manometer
3,048,192
1962
Surgical Valve
3,101,085
1963
Alternating Tourniquet System
3,105,511
1963
Infusion Safety Valve
3,152,202
1964
Tapered End Plastic Tube
3,122,136
1964
Catheter Pressure Standard
3,140,714
1964
Blood Separation Method*
3,246,646
1966
Pivoted Vaginal Speculum
3,253,595
1966
Cardiac Pacer Electrode System**
3,625,201
1971
Tester for Standby Pacing
3,620,220
1971
Cardiac Pacer with Redundant Power Supply
4,211,597
1980
Method for Making Artificial Kidney***
4,231,871
1980
Artificial Kidney & Method for Making Same***
* Walter B. Dandliker, PhD Coinventor
** J. Walter Keller Coinventor
*** BJ. Lipps Coinventor
Publications
He co-authored nearly 30 medical publications and helped to establish several professional organizations such as FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology), a non-profit group dedicated to inspiring young people's interest in science, technology and engineering, founded by his friend Dean Kamen.
Publication Title
Authors
Publication / Publisher
Date
"Portable Projector for Roentgenograms"
Dillion and Murphy
Am. J. of Roent. & Ray., Vol. LXI #6
June 1949
"Sterile Lancets for Blood Sampling"
Walter, Murphy, and Comploier
J. of A.M.A., 148
March 1952
"A Closed Gravity Technique for the Preservation of Whole Blood in ACD Solution"
Utilizing Plastic Equipment
Walter and Murphy S.G.&O., #94
June 1952.
"The Retardation of Clotting of Whole Blood on Contact with Stainless Steel"
Walter, Murphy, Jessiman, and Ahara
Surgical Forum
1952
"Use of an Artificial Kidney"
Murphy, Swan, Walter, Weller and Merrill
J. Lab. & CI. Med., 4D #3
September 1952
"Report of Blood Study Team Activities in the Far East”
Sproul, Murphy, Warrens and Sack
June 19 to July 30, 1953
"Serum Hepatitis from Pooled Irradiated Dried Plasma"
Murphy and Workman
J. of A.M.A., #154
August 1953
"Hemolysis in Blood Collected for Plasma processing"
Murphy, Sprout and Cetz
J.ofA.M.A.,#6
Junel955
"The Mechanical Factors Responsible for Rapid Infusion of Blood"
Walter, Murphy and Bellamy
S.G. &0.,#1
July 1955
"The Influence of Extracellular Factors Involved in the Collection of Blood in ACD on Maintenance of Red Cell Viability During Refrigerated Storage"
Gibson, Murphy, Scheitlin and Rees
Am. J. of CI. Path, #8
August 1956
"Direct Stimulation Myography and Ergometry of Human Calf Muscles with Supplementary Observations on Calf Elasticity,"
Edwards and Murphy
Surgery, Gynecology & Obstetrics
December 1956
"Unitized Disposable Urethral Catheter and Specimen Container"
Murphy, Flanery and Smith
J. of A.M.A., #15
December 1956
"A Blood Volume Expander Rediscovered"
Murphy
Bulletin of American Association of Blood Banks #2
February 1957
"Transfusion Consultation, Its Importance in Blood Banking"
Murphy
Bulletin of American Association of Blood Banks Vol. 10, No. 11
November 1957
"Atrial, Ventricular and Conal Myograms of the Embryonic Chick Heart"
Paff, Boucek and Murphy
The Anatomical Record
January 1959
"Electrocardiographic and Myographic Responses to Injury in the Isolated Chick Embryo Heart"
Boucek, Murphy and Paff
University of Miami
March 1959
"An Evaluation of Intermittent Peritoneal Lavage"
Doolan and Murphy
American Journal of Medicine
June 1959
"Thermo-Plastics in Patient Care Devices"
Murphy
Hospital Topics
July 1959
"Electrical and Mechanical Properties of the Chick Embryo Heart"
Boucek, Murphy and Paff
Circulation Research, Vol. VII
September 1959
"Recording of the Mechanical and Electrical Functions of the Chick Embryo Heart"
Murphy, Boucek and Paff
Medical Electronics
June 1959
"Electromagnetophoresis of Erythrocytes"
Dandliker, Murphy and Keller
Federation Proceedings, Vol. 19,m No. 1, Pt. 1
March 1960
"Segmental Perfusion of Coronary Arteries with Fibrinolysin in Man Following Myocardial Infarction"
Boucek and Murphy
Am. J. Cardiology
August 1960
"A Sterile, Disposable Catheterization Tray"
Murphy
Hospital Topics
February 1961
"Intercalative Angiography"
Boucek, Murphy and Hernandez
Radiology Vol. 76, No. 4
April 1961
"The Cardiac Programmer to Trigger an Arterial Pump"
Murphy
Transcript American Society of Artificial Internal Organs, Vol. VII
1961
"Magnetoelectrophoresis"
Murphy, Dandliker and Keller
Transfusion, Vol. 1, No. 6
November–December 1961
"Preparing Plastic Implant Devices"
Murphy
Hospital Topics
October 1971
"Carl Walter: A Pioneer in Shaping the Medical Device Industry"
Murphy
The American Journal of Surgery
November 1984
References
^"Biography". nobelprize.org. Retrieved December 30, 2010.