Pacemaker
date: label: date made
content: 1958
label: date made
content: 1957
notes: label: Description
content: There are many reasons for an irregular heartbeat including congenital anomalies and congestive heart failure. Sixty years ago physicians could provide little relief for patients who suffered from a heart that was beating to fast or to slow. Besides a handful of pharmaceuticals which didn’t always work, doctors were stymied as to how to help their ailing patients.
label: Description
content: This external pacemaker was cobbled together by Dr. Herman N. Uhley (1926-2012). The cost of the pacemaker was $25.00, and materials included vacuum tubes from a Sylvania television. Dr. Huley’s pacemaker was put into service when a sixty-eight year old male patient no longer responded to heart medication. The patient was successfully hooked up to Huley’s pacemaker
label: Description
content: Today when we chance to reflect about implantable pacemakers, we envision a small ovoid-shaped device, and assume the surgical procedure to implant it is routine and safe. The number of pacemaker implantations, approximately 100,000 annually in the United States reinforces this perception. Indeed, just about everyone has a relative or an acquaintance who has one.
label: Description
content: But before implantable pacemaker appeared in the scene in the early 1960’s there were several attempts to regulate irregular hearts with external pacemakers. Pacemakers were originally developed for use in 10% of patients who experience slowed heart rhythm after surgery for the repair of septal defects.
label: Description
content: Since the 1920’s there was interest in devices which could help regulate the heart. In 1952 Paul Zoll (1911-1999) demonstrated the first successful external pacemaker. Between 1955 and 1958 Zoll co-authored several articles which appeared in medical journals about stimulating the heart with electrical pulses to control the pacing of irregular hearts. His success inspired others to build their own pacemaker’s. Uley’s is one of such devices in the Smithsonian Collections. Uhley and his pacemaker represent a time prior to the 1976 FDA surgical device regulation when doctor’s tinkered at home or in hospital laboratories building devices and, in special cases, trying them out on patients.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
place: label: place made
content: United States: California, San Francisco
topic: label: Subject
content: Medicine
label: Subject
content: Cardiology
label: Subject
content: Invention
setName: label: See more items in
content: Medicine and Science: Medicine
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Gift of Joyce M. Uhley in Memory of Herman N, Uhley, M.D.
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: 2013.0027.01
label: accession number
content: 2013.0027
label: catalog number
content: 2013.0027.01
objectType: label: Object Name
content: pacemaker
label: Object Name
content: pacemaker, external
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: metal (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: glass (overall material)
label: Measurements
content: overall, as stored with cord: 7 7/8 in x 6 1/4 in x 13 in; 20.0025 cm x 15.875 cm x 33.02 cm
label: Measurements
content: overall: 18.3 cm x 12.6 cm x 27 cm; 7 7/32 in x 4 31/32 in x 10 5/8 in