Biography

Edgar Sowton died July 30, 1994, after a prolonged illness. His career began as a remarkable student who obtained simultaneous degrees in Medicine and Physics from Corpus Christi College, Cambridge. In the 1960s, he used his dual talents in Medicine and Physics to become one of the world's pioneers in the development of cardiac pacemakers; completing a fellowship at Karolinska Sjukhuset in Stockholm, he then became a Consultant Cardiologist and Assistant Director of the Institute of Cardiology at the National Heart Hospital in London. In 1967, he and Harold Siddons wrote Cardiac Pacemakers, the first book published concerning cardiac pacing. It established a standard for the blending of the then new medicine of electrical stimulation of the heart, the relevant electrophysiology and hemodynamics, and a compendium of the actual hardware then in use for clinical cardiac pacing. His interests, contributions, and publications in cardiac pacing were sustained to the present; he was an author of over 600 papers in the medical literature. He was a consummate, clear, and forceful speaker in worldwide demand, and a pleasure to hear.

In 1970, after having achieved international acclaim for his work in cardiac pacing, he moved to Guy's Hospital where he became Director of Cardiac Services. He was a leader in the training of a generation of clinical cardiologists. His drive, inquisitiveness, and constant desire to improve the lot of his patients led him into another major area of clinical development; he was one of the first people in the United Kingdom to perform coronary angioplasty, and soon developed a second international reputation in that field.

Edgar Sowton was recognized for this work throughout the world. He became Honorary Secretary of the British Cardiac Society in 1972 and its President in 1987. He was President of the British Pacing and Electrophysiology Group and President of its European counterpart, organizing a European Symposium on Cardiac Pacing in London in 1977. He received honors from professional societies in North America, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and South America.

- Anthony Rickards, M.D., FRCP, FACC, FESC
  Consultant Cardiologist
  Royal Brompton Hospital
  London, United Kingdom