Homer Stryker

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Homer Stryker
Born
Homer Hartman Stryker

(1894-11-04)November 4, 1894
Wakeshma Township, Michigan, U.S.
DiedMay 5, 1980(1980-05-05) (aged 85)
Kalamazoo, Michigan, U.S.
NationalityAmerican
EducationUniversity of Michigan School of Medicine
Western Michigan University
Occupation(s)Surgeon
Businessmen
Known forFounder of Stryker Corporation
SpouseMary Jane Underwood
FamilyPat Stryker (granddaughter)
Jon Stryker (grandson)
Ronda Stryker (granddaughter)

Homer Hartman Stryker (November 4, 1894 – May 5, 1980) was an American orthopedic surgeon, inventor, businessman, and the founder of Stryker Corporation. His inventions contributed to orthopedic care, patient comfort, and medical staff convenience.

Early life and education[edit]

Homer Stryker as a child

Stryker was born in Wakeshma Township, Michigan on November 4, 1894, later graduating from Athens High School as part of the class of 1913.[1] Stryker earned his teaching certificate from Western Michigan University in 1916 and taught in a one-room schoolhouse in the Keweenaw Bay school system in the Upper Peninsula before serving in the American infantry in France during World War I.[1]

Medical school[edit]

Stryker returned to Michigan to study medicine. Stryker was admitted into the University of Michigan medical school in 1919; however, he failed the foreign language exam that was required for admittance, and as a consequence he was unable to be admitted.[2] To be able to afford medical school tuition, Stryker taught at a school in Grand Ledge, Michigan, he coached football, basketball and baseball, worked as a barber, and pitched for the Grand Ledge semi-pro baseball team for two years.[2] He was later able to begin his medical studies in 1921 after obtaining the tuition and passing the foreign language exam. He earned his Doctor of Medicine degree from the University of Michigan Medical School in 1925 and interned at the University Hospital.[1] Stryker began his medical practice in Kalamazoo, Michigan, and established offices in Borgess Hospital, where he was the only orthopedic surgeon in the region.

Inventions[edit]

In 1935, Stryker began tinkering in his workshop with medical devices, developing a rubber heel for walking casts as well as an innovative hospital bed that reduced the incidence of bedsores in bed-ridden patients.[3]

In 1943, he created his most important invention, an oscillating electric saw "such that the cutter is actuated with a relatively short oscillating stroke of the order of one-eighth of an inch", that cuts and removes casts but would not cut skin.[3][4] He received a patent in 1947 and the principle is used today in the "Stryker Saw", the standard surgical tool for bone and plaster casts.[5]

In 1946, he founded Orthopedic Frame Company Inc. to manufacture and sell his inventions, although no patent had yet been granted for his hospital bed. In January 1958, the Orthopedic Frame Company launched the Circ-O-Lectric bed.[5] On January 2, 1964, Homer Stryker retired from practicing medicine and changed the name of his company from the 'Orthopedic Frame Company' to 'Stryker Corporation'.[6]

Awards[edit]

In 1970, he was honored with the Distinguished Alumni Award from the Western Michigan University Alumni Association.[2][7]

Modern day[edit]

Stryker's oscillating saw has been the tool of choice for cast removal ever since.[8][9]

Stryker Corporation has since grown into a global corporation, and went public on NASDAQ in 1977. Since 1997, Stryker has been traded on the NYSE.

In 2014, the Western Michigan University School of Medicine was renamed to the Western Michigan University Homer Stryker M.D. School of Medicine after an initially anonymous donation of $100 million was given to the school by Stryker’s granddaughter, Ronda Stryker.[10]

Personal life[edit]

Stryker married his former French tutor, Mary Jane Underwood, in 1924. They had a son, Lee, and three grandchildren, Pat Stryker, Jon Stryker, and Ronda Stryker.[1][2] Ronda Stryker currently sits on the governance board at Stryker Corporation.[11]

External links[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d "Dr. Homer Stryker". Kalamazoo Public Library. Retrieved 5 June 2015.
  2. ^ a b c d "About Homer H. Stryker, MD". University of Western Michigan. Retrieved 5 June 2015.
  3. ^ a b "Ronda Stryker's sense of passion and purpose make her recipient of 2013 YWCA Lifetime Woman of Achievement award". mlive. 2013-05-19. Retrieved 2020-06-09.
  4. ^ US2427580A, Stryker, Homer, "Plaster cast cutter", issued 1947 
  5. ^ a b Markman, Jon. "Early Focus On Surgical Robotics Gives Stryker A Leg Up". Forbes. Retrieved 2020-06-09.
  6. ^ "About Us - Company History". stryker.com. Stryker. Retrieved 5 June 2015.
  7. ^ "Proud Bronco Alumni". University of Western Michigan. Archived from the original on 2 August 2012. Retrieved 5 June 2015.
  8. ^ Organizational Behavior: Science, the Real World, and You, by Debra L. Nelson, James Campbell Quick, p. 323. Copr. 2010, Cenpage Learning, Inc.
  9. ^ The Journal, Volume 9, Issue 1, A publication of the National Association of Orthopaedic Technologists
  10. ^ "Western Michigan University renames medical school after Homer Stryker". MLive.com. Retrieved 2017-05-19.
  11. ^ The Forbes 400: Healers and Dealers
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