Owen C. Ward
Owen Conor Ward (1923-2021) was an Irish paediatrician and cardiologist.
Ward was a pioneering Irish paediatrician and paediatric cardiologist, internationally recognised for his independent co-description of Romano-Ward Syndrome, a congenital long QT syndrome associated with syncope and sudden cardiac death. A founder of cardiac services for children in Ireland, Ward was a meticulous clinician, inspirational teacher, and tireless advocate for the care and dignity of children with chronic and congenital conditions.
Ward graduated from University College Dublin in 1947, later training in paediatrics and cardiology at Alder Hey Hospital in Liverpool, where he completed a doctorate in neonatal hypoglycaemia. In 1956, he returned to Ireland to take up the post of paediatric cardiologist at the newly established Our Lady’s Hospital for Sick Children, Crumlin, where he helped build a paediatric cardiac surgery service from the ground up.
A gifted diagnostician and charismatic educator, Ward was appointed Professor of Paediatrics at UCD in 1970. His teaching and clinical leadership helped raise Irish standards in paediatric medicine to international levels. He played formative roles in medical history, patient advocacy, and support services for Down syndrome and sudden infant death, areas in which he remained active well into his 90s.
In retirement, Ward became an authority on John Langdon Down and Victorian paediatrics, earning a second doctorate and serving as Chair of the Langdon Down Centre Trust in London. He died in 2021 at the age of 98, remembered as a compassionate doctor, scholar, and lifelong advocate for children and families.
Biography
- 1923 – Born August 27 in County Monaghan, Ireland
- 1939 – Placed 1st nationally in Irish language and literature in Leaving Certificate (St Macartan’s College)
- 1947 – Graduated MB from University College Dublin (UCD); awarded gold medal for Irish debating; editor of An Iodh Morainn
- 1947–1954 – Specialist paediatric training at Alder Hey Children’s Hospital, Liverpool
- 1951 – Doctorate in Paediatric Cardiology from University of Liverpool; thesis on neonatal hypoglycaemia
- 1956 – Appointed Paediatrician and Paediatric Cardiologist at newly established Our Lady’s Hospital for Sick Children, Crumlin (Dublin)
- 1962 – First described a family with unexplained syncopal episodes; prolonged QT interval identified
- 1964 – Published clinical description of hereditary long QT syndrome (Romano-Ward syndrome)
- 1970 – Appointed Professor of Paediatrics at UCD
- 1979 – Elected Vice-President, Royal College of Physicians of Ireland
- 1986 – Developed hospital-based support system for families affected by sudden infant death
- 1990 – Retired from UCD and Crumlin; relocated to Teddington, London. Honorary Paediatrician at Kingston Hospital; visiting Professor (RCSI Tabuk, Saudi Arabia)
- 2000 – PhD in medical history (UCD) for his work on Langdon Down & Down’s Syndrome; Published John Langdon Down: A Caring Pioneer
- 2003–2009 – Chairman, Langdon Down Centre Trust (UK Down’s Syndrome Association)
- 2008 – Retired from undergraduate teaching at St George’s Medical School, London (aged 85)
- 2016 – Conferred honorary Doctor of Science (honoris causa) by UCD; on same day grandson Dr Cian Ward graduated medicine
- 2021 – Died December 22 at home in Teddington, London, aged 98
Medical Eponyms
Romano-Ward Syndrome (1964)
Congenital (autosomal dominant) long QT syndrome (LQTS). Unlike Jervell-Lange-Nielsen syndrome, there is no congenital hearing loss present. Multiple genetic mutations identified linked to cardiac potassium and beta-adrenergic channels.
Independently described in 1963 by Cesarino Romano, an Italian Paediatrician, and in 1964 by Irish paediatrician Owen Conor Ward. Both reported an autosomal dominant long-term QT syndrome, later known as Romano-Ward syndrome.
Published in the Journal of the Irish Medical Association regarding a syndrome observed in an Irish family the main features including:
- Prolonged, but variable QT interval in the ECG at rest
- Attacks of ventricular flutter or fibrillation following exertion or emotional disturbance;
- Normal interval between heart sounds:
- Absence of valvular or gross myocardial disease;
- Familial incidence
He detailed the case of a 6 year old girl (BH) suffering from recurrent syncope whenever she was distressed or exerted herself, from the age of 16 months. Her GP sent her for a cardiology review; she was admitted to hospital and her symptoms recreated by running her around the ward where she collapsed, pulseless and unconscious.
Her ECG changes included marked QT prolongation at baseline (fig 1) and ‘bizarre’ ventricular extrasystoles degenerating into ventricular fibrillation of an ‘abnormal configuration’ (fig 2). We now know this to be torsades de pointes, first defined by François Dessertenne in 1966.
Fig 2. ECG of BH showing ventricular fibrillation, with rapid and ineffective ventricular beats of abnormal configuration Ward 1964
Shortening the QT with digoxin, beta blockers and carbamazepine did not prevent her attacks. Regrettably, at the age of 14, she had a further single attack which proved fatal.
Her younger brother (MH) suffered similar attacks from the age of 15 months, associated with emotional distress. He was treated with thioridizine (Melleril) in association with a beta-blocker. He died in an attack a few months before the publication of the first paper identifying QT prolongation as an adverse effect of thioridizine.
In 1962 I saw a girl of eight years of age who was suffering from loss of consciousness of unexplained origin. In hospital she collapsed, pulseless, after she was taken on a run around the ward. Her brother was later affected. Their ECGs showed a prolonged QT interval and the attacks were caused by a serious form of ventricular arrhythmia.
Ward 1963
The children’s mother, who was completely symptom free, had marked prolongation of her QT interval. Their father’s ECG was normal. These findings were taken to indicate that the condition had been inherited as a dominant trait.
Autopsy examination revealed no pathological change in the heart muscle or in the conducting system, and no vascular structural abnormalities.
Key Medical Contributions
Pediatric Cardiology in Ireland: As the first paediatric cardiologist in Ireland, Ward was instrumental in creating a national service for congenital heart disease. He collaborated with surgical teams to make cardiac surgery viable for children, especially those with complex or previously untreatable defects.
Langdon Down Scholarship: In retirement, Ward pursued historical scholarship, earning a PhD for his work on Dr John Langdon Down. His 2000 biography John Langdon Down: A Caring Pioneer received critical acclaim. He chaired the Langdon Down Centre Trust, UK, and advocated for children with Down syndrome internationally.
Teaching and Advocacy: A revered teacher at UCD and later St George’s Medical School, Ward also campaigned for compassionate care. He developed bereavement support systems for families affected by sudden infant death and was honoured by Down syndrome associations in Ireland and the UK for his lifelong contributions.
Controversies
‘Not always a bed of roses’ – Ward speaking on his time working in Ireland where he was involved in several conflicts with Catholic Leaders. This was mainly during his work supporting Irish Women’s access to termination of pregnancy in cases of life-threatening malformation. His UCD Professorship became under threat when Archbishop Ryan discovered that Ward had been looking into the possibility of amniocentesis for a pregnant mother whose previous child had been born with gargoylism.
Major Publications
- Ward OC. Blood sugar studies on premature babies. Arch Dis Child. 1953 Jun;28(139):194-7.
- Ward OC. New familial cardiac syndrome in children. J Ir Med Assoc. 1964 Apr;54:103-6.
- Ward OC. The electrocardiographic abnormality in familial cardiac arrhythmia. Irish Journal of Medical Science 1966; 41: 553–557
- Ward OC. Familial cardiac arrhythmia. Arch Dis Child. 1968 Dec;43(232):744.
- Ward OC. The inheritance of paroxysmal tachycardia. G Ital Cardiol. 1972;2(1):154.
- Ward OC. Children in hospital: the past and the future. J Ir Coll Physicians Surg. 1991 Oct;20(4):266-9.
- Ward OC. John Langdon Down: the man and the message. Downs Syndr Res Pract. 1999 Aug;6(1):19-24.
- Ward OC. Prader-Willi syndrome. Lancet. 2000 Nov 25;356(9244):1856.
- Ward OC. Long QT syndromes: the Irish dimension. Ir Med J 2005;98: 120–2.
- Ward OC. The Irish contribution to the eradication of rheumatic fever. Ir Med J. 2010 Feb;103(2):59.
- Ward OC. Rheumatic fever in Ireland: the role of Dr Monica Lea Wilson (1889-1971). J Med Biogr. 2013 Feb;21(1):12-8.]
References
Biography
- Beighton G, Wiedemann HR. Ward OC In: The Person Behind the Syndrome. Springer. 1997: 222
- Prof Conor Ward, Abhcóide irrepressible do pháistí breoite. UCD School of Medicine. 2 June 2016
- Prof O. Conor Ward (Class of 1946). UCD School of Medicine. 2021
Eponymous terms
- Hodkinson EC, Hill AP, Vandenberg JI. The Romano-Ward syndrome – 1964 – 2014: 50 years of progress. Irish Medical Journal 2014; 107(4)
- Wettrell G. Early clinical and molecular discoveries in Long QT Syndrome. Hektoen International
- Eponymythology. History of the Electrocardiogram. LITFL
Eponym
the person behind the name
