Edouard Wyss-Dunant facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Edouard Wyss-Dunant
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| Born | 17 April 1897 |
| Died | 30 April 1983 (aged 86) |
| Citizenship | Swiss |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Medicine |
Edouard Wyss-Dunant (born April 17, 1897, died April 30, 1983) was a doctor from Switzerland. He was also a very skilled mountain climber, known as an alpinist. He wrote many books about his adventures climbing mountains. He is most famous for leading the Swiss team that explored Mount Everest in 1952.
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About Edouard Wyss-Dunant
Edouard Wyss-Dunant grew up in a region called Alsace. He later studied medicine in Geneva and Zurich. He became a doctor who specialized in radiology, which uses X-rays to see inside the body. He lived most of his life in Geneva.
While working as a doctor, Edouard also loved to climb mountains. He joined the Bern Academical Alpine Club. He climbed many famous peaks in the Bernese Oberland area of Switzerland. These included the Eiger and the Mönch. He even climbed the challenging Matterhorn mountain by himself. He also explored the Mont Blanc area with his climbing friend, Marcel Kurz.
Edouard didn't just climb in Switzerland. He went on many exciting expeditions around the world. He climbed in Mexico (1936), East Africa (1937), and Greenland (1938). He also explored places like Tibesti in Chad (1946) and the Himalaya mountains (1947 and 1952). He wrote books about these amazing trips.
Edouard was also a leader in the climbing world. He was the president of the Swiss Alpine Club. He also led the International Union of Alpine Associations. Because of his great climbing achievements, he became an honorary member of the Alpine Club in 1963.
The 1952 Swiss Everest Expedition
The most important part of Edouard Wyss-Dunant's climbing career was leading the Swiss expedition to Mount Everest in 1952. This team was from Geneva, Switzerland. Most of the climbers knew each other well from a climbing club called "L'Androsace." The city of Geneva helped support the expedition.
The main goal of this expedition was to find a good way to reach the top of Mount Everest. They wanted to explore the difficult Khumbu Icefall. They also hoped to reach a high point called the South Col.
During this expedition, two climbers, Raymond Lambert and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay, set a new altitude record. They reached about 8,595 meters (28,199 feet) high on the mountain. This was a huge achievement! Tenzing Norgay's experience on this trip was very helpful. He later reached the summit of Everest with Edmund Hillary in 1953.
The 1952 Swiss expedition was very successful. They found a new route up Everest. They also reached an incredible height in very tough conditions. Many experts believed this expedition was almost like a victory. It helped other climbing teams succeed on Everest later on.
Scientific Discoveries
Besides his climbing, Edouard Wyss-Dunant also did important scientific research. He studied how high altitudes affect the human body. He even came up with the term "Death Zone." This term describes the very high parts of mountains where there isn't enough oxygen for humans to survive for long. He wrote about this in a scientific journal.
Images for kids
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Edouard Wyss-Dunant, leader of the 1952 Swiss Everest expedition.
