Guenter B.
Risse, an American medical historian, died on February 15, 2026, at the age of 93. Born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on April 28, 1932, he wrote numerous books, including “Driven by Fear: Epidemics and Isolation in San Francisco’s House of Pestilence.” The American Association for the History of Medicine gave him its 1988 William H.
Welch Medal for “Hospital Life in Enlightenment Scotland” and its Lifetime Achievement Award in 2005. Risse was professor emeritus in the Department of Anthropology, History and Social Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco, and later an affiliate professor of bioethics and humanities at the University of Washington in Seattle.
Guenter Bernhard Risse (April 28, 1932 – February 15, 2026) was an American medical historian. He wrote numerous books, including “Driven by Fear: Epidemics and Isolation in San Francisco’s House of Pestilence.” The American Association for the History of Medicine awarded him the 1988 William H. Welch Medal for his book Hospital Life in Enlightenment Scotland and its Lifetime Achievement Award in 2005. He was Professor Emeritus, Department of Anthropology, History and Social Medicine, at the University of California, San Francisco, and later Affiliate Professor of Bioethics and Humanities at the University of Washington in Seattle.