Cardiology Valve
date: label: associated date
content: 1948
name: label: associated institution
content: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
label: associated person
content: Halkett, James A. E.
label: associated person
content: Sewell, William H.
notes: label: Description
content: James Alexander Elder Halkett (1920-2015) was a biophysicist and inventor. Sigmund Wesolowski (1923-1993) was a physician with a degree from Tufts University Medical School. Working together in 1948, the two men designed and built the first artificial heart that kept an animal alive. This valve is part of that device.
label: Description
content: Ref: James Alexander Elder Halkett, An Artificial Heart (1948).
label: Description
content: “Sigmund Wesolowski, 70, Dies; A Chest Specialist and Professor,” New York Times (Aug. 11, 1993), p. D20.
label: Description
content: George B. Griffenhagen, “The History of the Mechanical Heart,” Smithsonian Report for 1955, pp. 339-356.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
place: label: location of prior holder
content: United States: Massachusetts
label: location of prior holder
content: United States: Massachusetts, Sherborn
setName: label: See more items in
content: Medicine and Science: Medicine
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: James A. E. Halkett, M.D. and Adam Wesolow, M.D. (Sigmund Adam Wesolowski)
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: 1985.0101.01
label: accession number
content: 1985.0101
label: catalog number
content: 1985.0101.01
objectType: label: Object Name
content: Valve, T Type Mechanical Heart
label: Object Name
content: cardiology
label: Object Name
content: valve, t type mechanical heart
label: Other Terms
content: Valve, T Type Mechanical Heart; Surgery, Cardiac; Medicine
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: glass (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: rubber (overall material)
label: Measurements
content: valve, t type mechanical heart: 10 cm x 5 cm; 3 15/16 in x 1 15/16 in
label: Measurements
content: overall: 4 in x 2 1/4 in x 3/4 in; 10.16 cm x 5.715 cm x 1.905 cm