Medical Pioneer. As a young surgeon at the University of Toronto in the 1940s, he created a path breaking technique of cooling the body to allow open-heart surgery. In 1950, working with an electrical engineer, he created a radio-size unit that was used to restart a patient's heart after cooling. The hypothermia technique was supplanted by the heart-lung machine in the 1960's and in the course of his work with hypothermia, he created the theories that contributed to the development of the pacemaker. He became a professor of surgery at Johns Hopkins, in 1970 and was also head of the cardiovascular surgery division of Toronto General Hospital from 1956 to 1977. He was a former president of the American Association for Thoracic Surgery, the Society for Vascular Surgery and was president of the Canadian Cardiovascular Society from 1970 to 1972. He retired in 1979, wrote "Cold Hearts," a book about his life and research in 1984 and published "Mysterious Heparin: The Key to Open Heart Surgery," a book about blood thinner heparin in 1990. Among his many honors and awards are the Centennial Medal of Canada in 1967, the Queen's Medal in 1977, Officer of the Order of Canada in 1981 and Society of Thoracic Surgeons Membership in 1993, he is only the eighth person given that prestigious award. Cause of death heart failure at age 91.
Medical Pioneer. As a young surgeon at the University of Toronto in the 1940s, he created a path breaking technique of cooling the body to allow open-heart surgery. In 1950, working with an electrical engineer, he created a radio-size unit that was used to restart a patient's heart after cooling. The hypothermia technique was supplanted by the heart-lung machine in the 1960's and in the course of his work with hypothermia, he created the theories that contributed to the development of the pacemaker. He became a professor of surgery at Johns Hopkins, in 1970 and was also head of the cardiovascular surgery division of Toronto General Hospital from 1956 to 1977. He was a former president of the American Association for Thoracic Surgery, the Society for Vascular Surgery and was president of the Canadian Cardiovascular Society from 1970 to 1972. He retired in 1979, wrote "Cold Hearts," a book about his life and research in 1984 and published "Mysterious Heparin: The Key to Open Heart Surgery," a book about blood thinner heparin in 1990. Among his many honors and awards are the Centennial Medal of Canada in 1967, the Queen's Medal in 1977, Officer of the Order of Canada in 1981 and Society of Thoracic Surgeons Membership in 1993, he is only the eighth person given that prestigious award. Cause of death heart failure at age 91.
Bio by: John "J-Cat" Griffith
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