Dr. Wilfred Gordon Bigelow (born June 18, 1913 in Brandon, Manitoba) is a heart surgeon famous for his role in developing the artificial pacemaker. He gained his MD from the University of Toronto in 1938

In the 1950s, Bigelow developed the idea of using hypothermia as a medical procedure. This involves reducing a patient's body temperature prior to an operation in order to reduce the amount of oxygen needed, making heart operations safer.

External links

• A Biographical Sketch of Dr. Wilfred G. Bigelow (http://www.cscp.utoronto.ca/wilfred-bigelow-bio.html) at website of the Cardiovascular Sciences Collaborative Program, University of Toronto (http://www.cscp.utoronto.ca/)
• Wilfred G. Bigelow: From Cooling Hearts to Pacing Them (http://collections.ic.gc.ca/heirloom_series/volume4/234-237.htm)
• Canadian Medical Hall of Fame (http://www.cdnmedhall.org/Inductees/bigelow_97.htm)