Jean-Jacques Welti, one of the prominent figures of the pacemaker community, died on Sunday, February 21, 1988. He was the scion of a medical family, graduated as a Doctor of Medicine in 1941 and was named "Médicin des Hôpitaux" in 1953. In 1968, he and Jean Facquet founded the "Journeés Internationales de Cardiologie," which gathered an annual audience of 400-500 cardiologists for a 3-day lecture series describing the most important recent advances. The meeting has continued for the past 20 years under its founders and then its current organizers Yves Grosgogeat and Gilbert Motté.

Welti became involved with cardiac pacing at its inception. It's precision and logic appealed to his disciplined mind. The pervenous approach was first used in Paris in his department at the Hôpital Tenon. With a series of scientific contributions during the late 1960s and 1970s his team increased in prominence and influence. Under its renowned Chef d'Ecole it fostered pupils such as Marcel Kevorkian, Guy Pioger, and Michel Bonnet who remain linked to the field.

His ability at pacemaker EGG interpretation and a search for the cause of pacemaker failure led him to found the Association STIMAREC in 1973 which, with limited financial resources, was able to evaluate the nature of malfuction of explanted pacemakers. He was able to elicit cooperation from physicians throughout France and abroad. His famous "Bulletins" were released promptly at the beginning of each month and were anxiously awaited by physicians and even more by manufacturers.

Stimarec, guided by his tenacity and rigor, continued to grow. Years after he had retired from hospital work, in 1981, he continued to tend to it.

He was widely recognized by his colleagues and participated in the most important cardiologic and pacing meetings. The Bulletins have continued to be issued and translated into English. They are regularly published in PACE. In 1986, he was recognized by the "Distinguished Service Award" of the North American Society of Pacing and Electrophysiology.

With his death, we have all lost an admired and incorruptible master, a man of great moral and intellectual stature.

- Guy Fontaine, MD
- Seymour Furman, MD