Mark Cowley Lidwill (1878-1969) was a medical pioneer in

anaesthesiology Anesthesiology, anaesthesiology or anaesthesia is the medical specialty concerned with the total perioperative care of patients before, during and after surgery. It encompasses anesthesia, intensive care medicine, critical emergency medicine, ...

and

cardiology Cardiology () is the study of the heart. Cardiology is a branch of medicine that deals with disorders of the heart and the cardiovascular system. The field includes medical diagnosis and treatment of congenital heart defects, coronary artery di ...

. Supported by physicist Edgar H. Booth, he invented the

pacemaker A pacemaker, also known as an artificial cardiac pacemaker, is an implanted medical device that generates electrical pulses delivered by electrodes to one or more of the chambers of the heart. Each pulse causes the targeted chamber(s) to co ...

Early life

Born in

Cheltenham, England Cheltenham () is a historic spa town and borough adjacent to the Cotswolds in Gloucestershire, England. Cheltenham became known as a health and holiday spa town resort following the discovery of mineral springs in 1716, and claims to be the mo ...

on 7 April 1878, Lidwill emigrated with his parents to

Melbourne, Australia Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung/ or ) is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second most-populous city in Australia, after Sydney. The city's name generally refers to a metropolitan area also known ...

, in 1894 and later graduated with honours in medicine from

Melbourne University The University of Melbourne (colloquially known as Melbourne University) is a public research university located in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1853, it is Australia's second oldest university and the oldest in the state of Victoria. Its ...

(MB 1902, BCh 1903), and as MD in 1905.

Invention of pacemaker

Lidwill discovered that by using electricity he could stimulate muscles. He then went on to discover he could use electricity to set the pace of a sick heart. In 1926, Lidwill was working at the

Crown Street Women's Hospital Crown Street Women's Hospital (now-closed) was once the largest maternity hospital in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It was located at 351 Crown Street on the corner of Albion Streets, Surry Hills. The hospital was one of several stand- ...

in Sydney where he resuscitated a newborn baby with an electrical device. Lidwill's method was to put a needle into the heart to administer 16-volt impulses via the apparatus he had invented. Lidwill’s knowledge and expertise extended not only to his invention of the cardiac pacemaker but to the design and manufacture in 1910 of his mechanical-anaesthesia apparatus, the “Lidwill Inter-tracheal Anaesthetic Machine”, which remained in use in operating theatres in hospitals throughout Australia for more than 30 years. Lidwill’s invention, the cardiac pacemaker, has saved innumerable human lives and has been listed by Australian Geographic amongst the top ten Australian inventions that changed the world.

Honorary Fellowship

On 26 June 1954, the Faculty of Anaesthetists of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons (RACS) awarded Lidwill an Honorary Fellowship.

Namesake

The Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute named one of five laboratories of their Molecular Cardiology and Biophysics Division as the Mark Cowley Lidwill Cardiac Electrophysiology Laboratory. In 2007, Jamie Vandenberg established the Mark Cowley Lidwill Research Program in Cardiac Electrophysiology.

World's first black marlin catch

On 8 February 1913, Lidwill became the first angler to catch a black marlin (Tetrapterus Indicus) with a rod and reel. The marlin, weighing approximately 32 kg (70 lbs), was caught from a small Port Stephens launch operated by Mr Dick Waterson of Nelson Bay after a fight of 12 minutes on 21 thread cuttyhunk linen line. The fish was preserved in ice and shipped via the "SS Karuah" back to Sydney to be displayed at the George Street premises of tackle retailers "Eastaway Brothers". The marlin was subsequently donated to the

Australian Museum The Australian Museum, originally known as the Colonial Museum or Sydney Museum. is a heritage-listed museum at 1 William Street, Sydney, William Street, Sydney central business district, Sydney CBD, New South Wales. It is the oldest natural ...

, where it was skeletonised and put on display. The skeleton, now world-renowned, remains on permanent display in the Gallery of the Australian Museum in Sydney. Lidwill was a pioneer fisherman and a leader in the ranks of the first rod and reel salt-water anglers. Lidwill skippered his self-designed sea cruiser "Vialeen" and was an avid angler for most of his life. In February 2003, the Newcastle and Port Stephens Game Fish Club dedicated the game fishing weigh station installed on the public wharf at Nelson Bay Port Stephens as the "Dr Mark Lidwill Game Fish Weighing Station".

References

External links

Newcastle & Port Stephens Game Fish Club
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lidwill, Mark Cowley 1878 births 1969 deaths Australian cardiologists Australian medical researchers University of Melbourne alumni a