First External Cardiac Pacemaker

April 18th, 2011

Design: John Hopps, Dr. Wilfred Bigelow and Dr. John Callaghan
Client: Toronto General Hospital & National Research Council
Date: 1951

Following considerable global research and a strong desire to fight back at a major killer, the first pacemaker was created at the Banting Institute at the University of Toronto by Dr. Wilfred Bigelow and Dr. John Callaghan, and Dr. John Hopps at the National Research Council of Canada. This pioneering work led to the use of cardiac pacemakers, and established the importance of electronic devices in medicine.

Entry Filed under: Best of the CDR,Electronics