Louis Wolff

Biography

• Born 14, 1898 April in Boston
• 1918 – Graduated from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, majored in biology and public health
• 1922 – Medical degree, Harvard Medical School
• 1922 – 1924 Intern, Massachusetts General Hospital
• 1928 – 1964 Chief of the Electrocardiographic Laboratory at Beth Israel Hospital, Boston
• President of the New England Cardiovascular Society
• Clinical professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School
• 1950 – Published book ‘Electrocardiography. Fundamentals and Clinical Application’. WB Saunders, Philadelphia
• 1972 – Died January 28, 1972 of Parkinson’s disease

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Medical Eponyms

Wolff–Parkinson–White syndrome (1930) is a combination of the presence of a congenital accessory pathway and episodes of tachyarrhythmia. When recognised in 1930 during a case study of 11 patients, it was first described as:

Functional bundle-branch block and abnormally short P-R interval, occurring mostly in otherwise healthy young people with paroxysms of tachycardia or of auricular fibrillation

Wolff L, Parkinson J, White PD 

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Controversies

• Wolff didn’t meet Parkinson until 24 years later at the Second World Congress of Cardiology in 1954

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Major Publications

• Wolff L, White PD. Acute coronary occlusion: Report of 23 autopsied cases. Boston Med Surg J 1926; 195: 13-25.
• Wolff L, Parkinson J, White PD. Bundle-branch block with short P-R interval in healthy young people prone to paroxysmal tachycardia. American Heart Journal. 1930; 5: 685-704 [Reprint: Ann Noninvasive Electrocardiol. 2006; 11(4): 340-53.]
• Wolff L. Angina pectoris (or status anginosus) and cardiac asthma induced by paroxysmal atrial fibrillation and paroxysmal tachycardia; The value of quinidine sulfate in treatment of these conditions. N Engl J Med 1933;208:1194-1197.
• Orgain E, Wolff L, White P. Uncomplicated auricular fibrillation and auricular flutter. Archives of Internal Medicine. 1936; 57(3): 493 – 513. 
• Wolff L. Electrocardiography – Fundamentals and clinical application. 1950
• Wolff L. Syndrome of Short P-R Interval with Abnormal QRS Complexes and Paroxysmal Tachycardia (Wolff-Parkinson-White Syndrome). Circulation. 1954; 10(2): 282-291.
• Wolff L. The vectorcardiographic diagnosis of myocardial infarction. Dis Chest. 1955; 27(3): 263-81.
• Wolff L et al. Vectorcardiographic diagnosis. A correlation with autopsy findings in 167 cases. Circulation. 1961; 23: 861-880.

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References

• Kurland GS. Louis Wolff: 1898-1972. Profiles in Cardiology. Clin. Cardiol. 1989;12, 301-302
• Obituary. Dr. Louis Wolff, Professor And Noted Heart Specialist. NY Times Jan 30 1972
• Obituary. Louis Wolff. JAMA. 1972; 220(13):1753-1755
• Cadogan M. History of the Electrocardiogram. LITFL