Milestones in UMMC History

Published on Monday, April 22, 2024

By: Gary Pettus, gpettus@umc.edu

During its 69-year history, the University of Mississippi Medical Center has made contributions to the state, and the world, in medicine, science and education. Each month, we’ll recognize at least one of these major accomplishments.

Twenty-one years ago this month, Dr. Arthur C. Guyton, world-renowned physiologist, died. The first chair of the Department of Physiology and Biophysics at UMMC, he published, in 1956, the Textbook of Medical Physiology, considered the most widely used physiology textbook in the world. Guyton, for whom a UMMC distinguished professorship and a research building are named, is considered one of the giants of the Medical Center. He carved out a monumental career in spite of physical limitations imposed on this survivor of polio, who, in his self-reliant way, invented an electric wheelchair – for which he received a patent and a Presidential Citation.