Bruno Balke Papers
Mandeville Special Collections Library
Mandeville Special Collections Library
The UCSD Libraries
9500 Gilman Drive
University of California, San Diego
La Jolla, California 92093-0175
Phone: (858) 534-2533
Fax: (858) 534-5950
URL: http://orpheus.ucsd.edu/speccoll/
Copyright 2005
The Regents of the University of California. All rights reserved.
Descriptive Summary
Creator:
Balke, Bruno
Title: Bruno Balke Papers,
Date (inclusive): 1937 - 1982
Extent:
0.20 linear feet
(1 archives box)
Abstract: Writings of Bruno Balke, a physician and researcher specializing in the areas of sports medicine and the impact of environmental
factors on work performance of humans. Covering the years 1937-1982, the collection includes Balke's 1937 doctoral dissertation
in sports medicine, his 1945 Ph.D. thesis about physical performance at high altitude, and various articles about the impact
of altitude and deep space on human physiology.
Some of the early writings are in German, while all items written after 1945 are in English.
Repository:
University of California, San Diego. Geisel Library. Mandeville Special Collections Library.
La Jolla, California 92093-0175
Collection number: MSS 0468
Language of Material:
Collection materials in English
Access
Collection is open for research.
Acquisition Information
Not Available
Preferred Citation
Bruno Balke Papers, MSS 0468. Mandeville Special Collections Library, UCSD.
Publication Rights
Publication rights are held by the creator of the collection.
Biography
German emigre and researcher in sports medicine and environmental factors influencing human work performance. Balke was educated
in the University of Berlin medical school, receiving his degree in sports medicine in 1937. In 1938, he was recruited as
team physician for the German expedition to the summit of Nanga Parbat, a Himalayan mountain cresting at 26,700 feet. His
experiences on the mountain inspired his life-long interest in human performance under extreme environmental conditions.
During WWII Balke served on the Russian front until he contracted infectious hepatitis. As a result he was relocated to the
School of Mountain Rescue in Tyrol, where he was asked to establish two physiology laboratories, one at 2,000 feet above sea
level and the other at 10,000 feet. At these sites, Balke studied the impact of environmental factors such as cold, heat,
and altitude, in addition to the impact of exercise and nutrition. In collaboration with Ulrich Luft, who was also a member
of the 1938 Nanga Parbat expedition team, Balke developed a test for determining functional adaptability and limitations to
work capacity.
In 1945, Balke submitted a Ph.D. thesis on physical performance capacity at high-altitude, which was accepted by the University
of Leipzig. Though never published, the thesis was instrumental in Balke's being recruited to join the staff of the United
States Air Force School of Aviation Medicine in San Antonio, Texas. While on staff there from 1950 to 1960, Balke worked
in the Human Performance Laboratory, investigating human adaptation to high altitude, in-flight stress, and simulated deep
space.
In 1960, Balke left the USAF School of Aviation Medicine to accept a position as Professor of Physical Education and Physiology
at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. Balke currently resides in Grand Junction, Colorado.
Indexing Terms
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.
Subjects
Balke, Bruno -- Archives
Stress (Physiology)
Altitude, Influence of
Stress (Physiology) -- Testing
Adaptation (Physiology)
Acclimatization
Mountain sickness
Aviation Medicine
Exercise -- Physiological aspects
Physical fitness
box 1, folder 1
"Ueber lungenblutungen kardialen Ursprungs, besonders bei der Mitralstenose"
1937
Note
Reprint of Balke's doctoral dissertation for his medical degree. In German.
box 1, folder 2
"Zusammenfassunguber die Habilitationsarbeit"
1945
Note
Photocopy of Balke's Ph.D. Thesis. In German.
box 1, folder 3
Early research on impact of high altitude
1943 - 1944
Note
Reprints and typescripts, in German, of research.
"Bergkrankheit" (1943); "Hochgebirgslaboratorien" (1943); "Energiebedarf im Hochgebirge" (1944); and "Hohenfestigkeitssteigerung
durch korperliches Training" (1944).
box 1, folder 4
Physical training
1958 - 1971
Note
"Ceiling Altitude Tolerance following Physical Training and Acclimatization" (1958); "Increased Tolerance to Pressure Breathing
by Utilizing Adequate Breathing Mechanics" (1958); "Maximum Performance Capacity at Sea-Level and at Moderate Altitude before
and after Training at Altitude" (1965); "Training for Maximum Performance at Altitude" (1966); "The Physiological Effects
of Altitude Training" (1967); "Variation in Altitude and Its Effects on Exercise Performance" (1968); and "Training at Altitude
for Performance at Sea Level" (1971).
box 1, folder 5
Exercise testing in stress situations
1952 - 1956
Note
"Correlation of Static and Physical Endurance" (1952); "Work Capacity after Blood Donation and after Exposure to Prolonged,
Mild Hypoxia" (1953); "Work Performance at Altitude after Adaptation in Man and Dog" (1956); and "Own Involvement in Exercise
Testing" (n.d.).
box 1, folder 6
Respiration and cardiac performance at high altitude
1964 - 1982
Note
"Cardiac Performance in Relation to Altitude" (1964); "Physiology of Respiration at Altitude" (1972); and "Seminar at the
Given Institute" (1982)
box 1, folder 7
Factors limiting performance
1962 - 1981
Note
"Work Capacity and Its Limiting Factors at High Altitude" (1962); "Human Tolerances" (1963); "Summary of Magglingen Symposium
on Sports at Medium Altitude" (1965); "Limiting Factors of Physical Performance" (1973); and "Limitations to Work at Altitude"
(1981).
box 1, folder 8
Work performance and aging
1963
Note
"Work Tolerance: Age and Altitude" (1963); and "Respiratory Responses to Exercise as Related to Age" (n.d.).
box 1, folder 9
Performance in deep space
1959
Note
"Experimental Studies on the Conditioning of Man for Space Flight" (1959); "Progress Report #1: Man in Space" (1959); and
"Medico-Biological Research on the Problem "Man in Space Flight" (n.d.).
box 1, folder 10
Hyperventilation
1956 - 1958
Note
"Effect of Hyperventilation on Performance" (1956); "In-Flight Hyperventilation during Jet Pilot Training" (1957); and "Adaptive
Responses to Hyperventilation" (1958).