Who invented the Foley catheter? probable

Positions

1. Foley

   Frederic Foley described the self-retaining balloon catheter in 1929, demonstrated it in 1935 and published it in 1937; Bard sold it under his name from 1935.

   Sources

   1. Wikipedia: Frederic Foley Secondary
   2. Wikipedia: Foley catheter Secondary

2. Raiche

   Paul Raiche of the Davol Rubber Company received the patent in 1936. Foley's later application won before the Patent Office Board of Appeals, but a court reversed the decision and the patent stayed with Raiche.

   Sources

   1. Wikipedia: Frederic Foley Secondary

Evidence

The detailed account of the dispute comes from one source, which the screenplay note says cites Mattelaer and Billiet. Foley's own priority as designer rests on his 1929 description and 1937 paper.

Current standing

Raiche won the patent; Foley kept the name. The film says exactly this.

All sources