Hans Selye (1907–1982)

Hans Selye dedicated nearly his entire life to identifying and defining the phenomenon of stress and informing the scientific community and the general public of his research findings. He is considered the father of stress research and said to be the “Einstein of medicine”. His wide-ranging research and excellent communication skills gave him an international reputation as an endocrinologist.

Born in Vienna to an affluent family, Hans Selye was the son of a surgeon. He entered the German University in Prague in 1924, studied in Paris and Rome from 1925 to 1927, and returned to Prague to complete a doctorate in medicine (1929). He opted for a career in research, however, and in 1931, earned a Ph.D. in organic chemistry. Already interested in the phenomenon of stress, he had introduced the term into medical vocabulary as early as 1926. After graduation, he went to the United States to work as a researcher in the Department of Biochemical Hygiene at Johns Hopkins University. In 1933, he moved on to McGill University in Montreal, initially working as a researcher in endocrinology and biochemistry, and then as a professor until 1945.

In 1936, he published his first scientific article on the stress syndrome, otherwise known as the General Adaptation Syndrome, a theory that would make him famous worldwide. Over his life as a scientist, he developed this diagnostic concept, which was new at the time and which revolutionized our understanding of disease and its causes, and of the links between the brain, the emotions, and the body. His approach, designed to be multidisciplinary and holistic, has influenced countless researchers, some of whom became leading experts in their fields.

He joined the Université de Montréal in 1945 as a professor, where he founded and became the first director of the Institut de médecine et de chirurgie expérimentale (Institute of Experimental Medicine and Surgery), a post he occupied until his retirement in 1977. During this time of intense activity, he published over 1,700 scientific articles and some 40 works, some of which were translated into several languages, including The Stress of Life, From Dream to Discovery, Stress Without Distress, and The Stress of My Life. A widely sought-after guest speaker, he travelled around the world to share his discoveries and was a member of dozens of medical and scientific associations in Canada and abroad. In his lifetime, Selye was honoured with numerous honours and awards, including 43 honorary doctorates, the title of Companion of the Order of Canada, and the Prix de l’œuvre scientifique from the Association des médecins de langue française.