The History of Cardiology

Cardiology is a discipline that has grown and advanced significantly in the last two hundred years and physicians understand the heart more thoroughly each year. There are a few techniques that essentially define the history of cardiology and how cardiologists have worked to cure ills of the heart for centuries and still continue today.

Milestones for Cardiology

There are many significant advances in the study of the heart. Following is a sampling of some of the most significant advances: In 1628, Englishman William Henry studied and released his findings on circulation. In 1733, Stephen Hales created a way to measure blood pressure which helped doctors to better evaluate how hard a patient's heart is working. In 1816, the French doctor Rene T.H. Laennec invented the stethoscope. It was in 1952 when the first open heart surgery took place, 1967 marked the first whole heart transplant and in 1982, the first permanent artificial heart was implanted into a patient.

Bloodletting

Bloodletting is one of the oldest cardiology practices in existence. It was employed from the time that Aelius Galen (129--200 CE) was practicing medicine well into the 20th century. According to the University of Iowa's History of Cardiology, bloodletting was thought to cure people of "diseases from tumors to tonsillitis, caused by an 'imbalance' in the body which could be stabilized by releasing blood." In order to release the patient's blood, doctors or laymen typically used a lancet, another instrument called a lebenswecker; accompanied with cupping. Blood could be let from any part of the body but most commonly through the veins called "venesection."

Pacemakers

Pacemakers have saved many lives and changed the treatment for those with irregular or slow heartbeats. Created in 1958 by the Colombian engineer Jorge Reynolds, the pacemaker began as a large device that the patient had to carry outside of the body. In the 1960s, testing on animals began to determine whether the pacemaker would be a viable alternative to human patients. However, before testing was complete the first pacemaker operation was performed in 1958. Unfortunately the device only functioned for three hours, but the patient survived and underwent several pacemaker operations in the future, living to the age of 86. Pacemakers continued to improve eventually becoming implanted underneath the skin rather than operating outside the body. Today, pacemakers weigh less than one ounce and most wearers can live normal lives.

Stethoscopes

Stethoscopes are another marked advancement in cardiology. The stethoscope was originally a simple hollow wooden cylinder used in the early 19th century to amplify heartbeats and help doctors diagnose disease. A major criticism of early stethoscopes is that they diminished the diagnostic powers of doctors by causing them to rely too heavily on the device. However, this criticism is no longer accepted in the medical community and stethoscopes remain an important tool in cardiology.

Pharmaceuticals

Before the chemical pharmaceuticals used in cardiology today were invented, herbs were used to cure maladies of the heart. The most common herbs that were used were digitalis, cinchona and foxglove. Herbs were administered by injection and ingestion. While today herbs are part of a homeopathic regime, chemical medicines created in a pharmacy are primarily used in the Western world for treating heart conditions such as high blood pressure and congestive heart failure.

References

• "The Beat Goes On: A History of Cardiology." 2007
• "History of the Heart." 2009

Resources

• Read this Article in Spanish
• Pictoral History of Cardiology
• Interactive Cardiology Timeline