Who invented the cardiac pacemaker in Australia?
In 1926, Sydney anaesthetist Mark Lidwill and physicist Edgar Booth developed one of the world's first artificial pacemakers. Their portable device delivered electrical impulses to restart and regulate the heart.
Lidwill worked at Crown Street Women's Hospital in Sydney, and Booth was a physicist at the University of Sydney. Together they created a device that could be plugged into a power point and connected to the heart with a needle.
In 1928, Lidwill reportedly used the device to revive a newborn baby whose heart had stopped. The baby survived after the device was used for about ten minutes.
A largely forgotten breakthrough
Lidwill did not seek publicity for his invention, partly because of concerns that interfering with the heart was controversial at the time. As a result, the device received little attention for many years.
Later developments in the United States and Sweden led to the modern implantable pacemaker in the 1950s and 1960s. These small battery-powered devices are now used by millions of people worldwide.
The story of Lidwill and Booth is often included in lists of Australian inventions. It shows how early Australian researchers contributed to medical technology that is now part of everyday care.
Did You Know?
Modern pacemakers are implanted under the skin and connected to the heart with thin wires.