C. Everett Koop (1916–2013,) fully Charles Everett Koop, was an American pediatric surgeon and public health administrator. He was a vice admiral in the Public Health Service Commissioned Corps. He served as the 13th Surgeon General of the United States under President Ronald Reagan 1982–89.
Born in Brooklyn, New York, Koop attended Dartmouth College, Cornell Medical College, and the University of Pennsylvania. As surgeon-in-chief at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP,) Koop performed groundbreaking surgical procedures on conjoined twins, invented techniques, which today are commonly used for infant surgery, and saved the lives of countless children who otherwise might have been allowed to die.
As the U.S. surgeon general 1981–89, Koop campaigned vigorously against the tobacco industry and sought to impress the public about the dangers of smoking. He was also known for his work on AIDS, sex education in schools, abortion, and supporting disabled children’s rights.
Koop wrote The Memoirs of America’s Family Doctor (1991.)
More: Wikipedia • READ: Works by C. Everett Koop
Life affords no greater responsibility, no greater privilege, than the raising of the next generation.
—C. Everett Koop
Topics: Responsibility
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