Smyrna times., 1963-05-30
'Pacemaker" Gives New Life
To 76-Year-Old Heart Patient

ae
Pride is reflected In a va
riety Of ways--many times In
material possessions or inper-
sonal accomplishments.
Harry White, 76-year-old
Delmar farmer, shows his pride
in a different form--in his heart
beat.
The Sussex Countian feels
that way with just cause. For
with the aid of a mechanical
heart stimulator he is able to
talk with friends, walk around
the house, and cultivate en-
ticing thoughts of playing with
his grandchildren.
A month ago Mr.. White didn't
have the strength to lift his
head off his pillow or talk for
five minutes TO visitors.
The r-miraculous trans
formation was made possible
by pacemaker", a battery
powered device placed inside
Mr.. Whites body and connect
ed to his heart by wires. The
current eminating from the
pacemaker provides the neces-
sary stimulus to keep the heart
pulsating at a normal rate.
Mr.. Whites return to an
actiYe life was made possible
by the interest of a number of
persons, including his mailman,
Irvan Aydelotte.
Mr.. Aydelotte, Delmar chair
man of the Delaware Heart
Association, worked together
with area doctors to chart
Harry's course to the Della
ware Heart Association clinic
In Wilmington and ultimately to
the Hospital of the University
of Pennsylvania where he un-
derwent the life-saving oper-
alton.
Mr.. Whites history of heart
difficulties dates back to No
vember, 1857, when at the age
of 70 he began to have black
out spells. He was hospitalized
for short periods In Seaford and
Salisbury. His chief problem
was hts hearts inability to
maintain pace rate that was
rapid enough to sustain nor
NAL body functions.
In the Salisbury Hospital, his
progress was assisted by the
use of bedside pacemaker,
a device similar In effect, but
much larger than the one that
was eventually placed inside
his body. -
When he returned home, MIR.
White was given a prescription
for 'slittle black pills" which
he took to speed up his heart
beat.
"About a year ago he had a
bad spell and the doctors or
dered him to step up the in
take of these pills until they
got his pulse up" Mrs. White
said.
At Christmas he tried to
travel to his daughter-in-law's
home. Before he was able to
step out of his front porch, he
had a blackout spell and was
forced to return to bed.
In the first three months
of this year he left his home
only once, to travel to neigh
boris house a short distance
away.
in January we didn't think
he'd ever recover. We didn't
think he would live," his wife
confided.
MIR. Whites condition wor-
sened. however. At one point
his pulse dropped to an alb
normal low of IL compared to
a normal beat of 70-80 times
a minnte); even the use of pills
could only bring it up to about
28.
Dr.. Ernest Larrimore of the
Seaford Hospital urged him to
60 directly to the heart clinic
maintained at the Delaware
Hospital by the Delaware Heart
Association.
He made the long ride to
Wilmington In the ambulance of
the Delmar Fire Company. His
wife rode with him, giving him
pills along the route in a des-
perate attempt to keep his heart
beating.
Mrs. White recalls that her
husband had ''five or six spells"
when he arrived at the Della
ware Hospital. He was examined
by DR.. Harry Zimser, nation
ally-nown heart specialist
from Philadelphia.
After TWO days of tests at
the Delaware Hospital, Mr..
White was transferred to the
University Hospital In Philadel-
phia. Within TWO hours after he
was admitted, doctors operated
and inserted a device into his
heart through the carotid artery
In his neck. This was attached
to a bedside PAGER which fur
nisheds electrical impulses to
keep his heart beating.
On April 10 a second oper-
alton was performed In which
the miniature PAGER was in
serted In his body. Ten days
later he came home.
His recovery since then has
been nothing short of remark
able. He moves around the mod