X-ray of pacemaker in situ
Over 20 000 artificial pacemakers are implanted in people each
year in the UK. This image shows an X-ray of a pacemaker in
the body. Wilson Greatbach is credited with the invention of the
first implantable cardiac pacemaker. He discovered the possibility
of a device to regulate heart beat by mistake while he was trying
to build a machine to record sounds from the heart. He mistakenly
fitted an incorrect resistor, which began to give off a steady
electrical pulse. Taking this as his starting point he worked for
two years to create an implantable device.