John Alexander Hopps, (May 21, 1919 – November 24, 1998) was a co-developer of both the first

artificial pacemaker An artificial cardiac pacemaker (or artificial pacemaker, so as not to be confused with the natural cardiac pacemaker) or pacemaker is a medical device that generates electrical impulses delivered by electrodes to the chambers of the heart eit ...

and the first combined pacemaker-

defibrillator Defibrillation is a treatment for life-threatening cardiac arrhythmias, specifically ventricular fibrillation (V-Fib) and non-perfusing ventricular tachycardia (V-Tach). A defibrillator delivers a dose of electric current (often called a ''coun ...

, and was the founder of the Canadian Medical and Biological Engineering Society (CMBES). He has been called the "Father of

biomedical engineering Biomedical engineering (BME) or medical engineering is the application of engineering principles and design concepts to medicine and biology for healthcare purposes (e.g., diagnostic or therapeutic). BME is also traditionally logical sciences ...

in Canada." He was also the President and Secretary-General of the International Federation for Medical and Biological Engineering from the 1970s to the mid-1980s. He is a member of the Canadian Science and Engineering Hall of Fame.The Canadian Science and Engineering Hall of Fame: The Hall
, Canada Science and Technology Museum.

Life and work

Born in

Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the province of Manitoba in Canada. It is centred on the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, near the longitudinal centre of North America. , Winnipeg had a city population of 749, ...

Manitoba , image_map = Manitoba in Canada 2.svg , map_alt = Map showing Manitoba's location in the centre of Southern Canada , Label_map = yes , coordinates = , capital = Winn ...

, he received a B.Sc.Engineering degree in electrical engineering from the

University of Manitoba The University of Manitoba (U of M, UManitoba, or UM) is a Canadian public research university in the province of Manitoba.National Research Council of Canada The National Research Council Canada (NRC; french: Conseil national de recherches Canada) is the primary national agency of the Government of Canada dedicated to science and technology research & development. It is the largest federal research ...

(NRC) in 1942. In the early 1940s, Hopps was very focused on researching how to

pasteurize Pasteurization or pasteurisation is a process of food preservation in which packaged and non-packaged foods (such as milk and fruit juices) are treated with mild heat, usually to less than , to eliminate pathogens and extend shelf life. ...

beer using various waves like radio waves or

microwave Microwave is a form of electromagnetic radiation with wavelengths ranging from about one meter to one millimeter corresponding to frequencies between 300 MHz and 300 GHz respectively. Different sources define different frequency ra ...

s. Beginning in 1949, he worked with Doctors Wilfred Bigelow and John Callaghan at the Banting Institute in the

University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public university, public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park (Toronto), Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 ...

, developing the world's first external

in 1951. (The first internal pacemaker was implanted in a human body by a Swedish team in 1958.) Hopps initially resented his work at the institute, calling it "an annoying interruption." During this work, Hopps discovered that the heart would contract when subjected to electrical impulses. Hopps was an advisor to the Sri Lanka health department's Electromedical Division through the Canadian government's

Colombo Plan The Colombo Plan is a regional intergovernmental organization that began operations on 1 July 1951. The organization was conceived at an international conference, The Commonwealth Conference on Foreign Affairs held in Colombo, Ceylon (now Sri L ...

in 1957-58 before returning to the NRC and becoming head of its Medical Engineering Section in 1973. In 1965, Hopps founded the Canadian Medical and Biological Engineering Society (CMBES) and became its first President.Founder of CMBES
The Canadian Medical and Biological Engineering Society. In 1971, he was appointed president of the International Federation for Medical and Biological Engineering, for which he later served as the secretary general from 1976 to 1985. In 1976, he was awarded the honour of

Fellow A fellow is a concept whose exact meaning depends on context. In learned or professional societies, it refers to a privileged member who is specially elected in recognition of their work and achievements. Within the context of higher education ...

of the CMBES. He was also the President of the Ontario Heart Foundation's Ottawa Chapter. He retired in 1978. In 1985, his autobiography, ''Passing Pulses, the Pacemaker and Medical Engineering: A Canadian Story'', was published. The same year, he also won the A.G.L. McNaughton Award for engineering contributions made as a Canadian. In 1986, he was made an Officer of the

Order of Canada The Order of Canada (french: Ordre du Canada; abbreviated as OC) is a Canadian state order and the second-highest honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the cen ...

References

Sources * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Hopps, John 1919 births 1998 deaths 20th-century Canadian inventors Canadian medical researchers Canadian electrical engineers Officers of the Order of Canada People from Winnipeg Scientists from Manitoba University of Manitoba alumni University of Toronto people