Wilfred Gordon Bigelow
Wilfred Gordon"Bill"BigelowOCFRSC(June 18, 1913 – March 27, 2005) was aCanadianheartsurgeonknown for his role in developing theartificial pacemakerand the use ofhypothermiainopen heart surgery.[1]
Born inBrandon, Manitoba,the son of Dr. Wilfred Abram Bigelow, founder of the first private medical clinic in Canada, and Grace Ann Gordon,nurseand midwife, he gained hisMDfrom theUniversity of Torontoin 1938. He served duringWorld War IIas a captain in the Royal Canadian Medical Army Corps, performing battle surgery on the frontlines. He was appointed to the surgical staff ofToronto General Hospitalin 1947, after spending a year atJohns Hopkins Medical School,and then a year later to the Department of Surgery at theUniversity of Torontoin 1948.
In the 1950s, Bigelow developed the idea of usinghypothermiaas a medical procedure. This involves reducing a patient's body temperature prior to an operation in order to reduce the amount of oxygen needed, making heart operations safer.[2]
He wrote two books,Cold HeartsandMysterious Heparin.He served as a director of the Audubon Society and the Nature Conservancy of Canada.
In 1981 he was made an Officer of theOrder of Canada.[3]He was inducted into theCanadian Medical Hall of Famein 1997.
He was married to Ruth Jennings for almost 60 years. They had four children; Pixie, John, Dan and Bill.
References[edit]
- ^Kermode-Scott, B. (2005)."Wilfred G Bigelow".BMJ.330(7497): 967.doi:10.1136/bmj.330.7497.967.PMC556354.
- ^Sealy, W. C. (1989). "Hypothermia: Its possible role in cardiac surgery".The Annals of Thoracic Surgery.47(5): 788–91.doi:10.1016/0003-4975(89)90151-3.PMID2658888.
- ^Order of Canada citation
External links[edit]
- A Biographical Sketch of Dr. Wilfred G. Bigelowat website of theCardiovascular Sciences Collaborative Program,University of Toronto
- Wilfred G. Bigelow: From Cooling Hearts to Pacing Them
- Canadian Medical Hall of Fame
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
- 1913 births
- 2005 deaths
- Canadian cardiac surgeons
- Canadian medical researchers
- Canadian military personnel of World War II
- Fellows of the Royal Society of Canada
- Officers of the Order of Canada
- People from Brandon, Manitoba
- University of Toronto alumni
- 20th-century surgeons
- Presidents of the American Association for Thoracic Surgery