1932 - Medicine

Medicine

New York cardiologist Albert S. (Salisbury) Hyman, 39, pioneers the pacemaker, using a transthoracic needle to administer an electrical impulse to the hearts of small laboratory animals (and one large dog) whose hearts have stopped. By March 1 he has used the device 43 times and succeeded 14 times (see 1958).

New York-born Mount Sinai Hospital gastroenterologist Burrill B. (Bernard) Crohn, 48, reports more than a dozen cases of an inflammatory bowel disease that will be variously identified as Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Marked by chronic diarrhea and often associated with auto-immune disorders, it typically appears by age 30, can be extremely painful and debilitating, has numerous complications, defies treatment by diet or medication, and in extreme cases requires surgery.

Berlin gastroenterologist Rudolf Schindler, 44, invents the gastroscope for examining stomach interiors (see Bernheim, 1911). He will relocate next year to Los Angeles, but exploratory surgery rather than endoscopy will remain the primary option for decades to come (see CAT scan, 1974; MRI, 1982).

The Benzedrine Inhaler introduced by Smith Kline & French is a nasal decongestant whose active ingredient is an amphetamine. It will be used in treating hyperkinetic children, prescribed for obesity, and abused as "speed."

Surgeon-bacteriologist Sir William Watson Cheyne dies at Fetlar, Shetland Islands, April 19 at age 79; bacteriologist Sir Ronald Ross at Putney Heath, London, September 16 at age 75, having seen malaria conquered in at least some parts of the world.