Medicine's 10 Greatest Discoveries

Meyer Friedman, 1910 - 2001 Meyer Friedman is best known for his work in linking behavior to health hazards, more specifically the Type A Behavior, which conclusively leads to heart attacks. Friedman earned his Bachelor's Degree from Yale and his Doctorate from Johns Hopkins. His best known work is entitled "Type A Behavior and Your Heart", which he co-wrote with Dr. Ray H. Rosenman.

Dr. Friedman was himself of the Type A Behavior, yet knowing this tried to become more like the Type B Behavior to possibly save his own life. He had suffered two heart attacks in his lifetime, as well as two coronary bypass surgeries. Friedman insisted that his theory was behavioral and not personality because it could be changed. If a person with Type A Behavior wished to avoid heart attacks, then they could attempt to change the way they behaved. Type A is described as a person who gets angry easily, works too hard and generally lives life at an exceeded rate of time. Type B is described as easy going and relaxed, less prone to heart attacks. This discovery became a household phrase and also led the way for more research into cardiology and ways to prevent heart attacks.

Besides his revolutionary theory, Friedman also performed research at an institute named for him at Mount Zion Medical Center in San Francisco. He made discoveries in gout, cholesterol production and the psychological events that take place during a heart attack. He will be remembered always as a major figure in the research of cardiovascular disease.

Meyer Friedman died April 27, 2001, in San Francisco. He was 90 years old.