Wilfred Gordon Bigelow
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Dr. '''Wilfred Gordon "Bill" Bigelow''', [[Order of Canada|OC]], [[Doctor of Medicine|MD]], [[Doctor of Laws|LL.D]], [[Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada|FRSC]] ([[June 18]], [[1913]] – [[March 27]], [[2005]]) was a [[Canada|Canadian]] heart surgeon known for his role in developing the [[artificial pacemaker]] and the use of [[hypothermia]] in [[open heart surgery]].<ref>Wilfred G Bigelow ([[Obituary]]). [[BMJ]] 2005;330;967. Available at: [http://www.bmj.com/cgi/reprint/330/7497/967.pdf http://www.bmj.com/cgi/reprint/330/7497/967.pdf]. Accessed on: April 2, 2007.</ref>
Born in [[Brandon, Manitoba]], the son of Dr. Wilfred Abram Bigelow, founder of the first private medical clinic in Canada, and Grace Ann Gordon, [[nurse]] and midwife, he gained his [[doctorate|MD]] from the [[University of Toronto]] in 1938. He served during [[World War II]] as a Captain in the Royal Canadian Medical Army Corps, performing battle surgery on the frontlines. He was appointed to the surgical staff of [[Toronto General Hospital]] in 1947, after spending a year at [[Johns Hopkins Medical School]], and to the Department of Surgery at the University of Toronto in 1948.
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.
He wrote two books, ''Cold Hearts'' and ''Mysterious Heparin''. He served as a director of the Audubon Society and the Nature Conservancy of Canada.
In 1981 he was made an Officer of the [[Order of Canada]]. He was inducted into the [[Canadian Medical Hall of Fame]] in 1997.
He was married to Ruth Jennings for almost 60 years. They had four children; Pixie, John, Dan and Bill.
==References==
{{reflist}}
==External links==
* [http://www.cscp.utoronto.ca/wilfred-bigelow-bio.html A Biographical Sketch of Dr. Wilfred G. Bigelow] at website of the [http://www.cscp.utoronto.ca/ ''Cardiovascular Sciences Collaborative Program'', University of Toronto]
* [http://collections.ic.gc.ca/heirloom_series/volume4/234-237.htm Wilfred G. Bigelow: From Cooling Hearts to Pacing Them]
* [http://www.cdnmedhall.org/laureates/?laur_id=27 Canadian Medical Hall of Fame]
* [http://www.gg.ca/honours/search-recherche/honours-desc.asp?lang=e&TypeID=orc&id=143 Order of Canada Citation]
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bigelow, Wilfred}}
[[Category:1913 births]]
[[Category:2005 deaths]]
[[Category:Canadian surgeons]]
[[Category:Canadian Medical Hall of Fame]]
[[Category:Canadian medical researchers]]
[[Category:Canadian physicians]]
[[Category:Canadian military personnel of World War II]]
[[Category:Fellows of the Royal Society of Canada]]
[[Category:Officers of the Order of Canada]]
[[Category:People from Brandon, Manitoba]]
[[Category:University of Toronto alumni]]