Harold Ensign Bennet Pardee (December 11, 1886 – February 28, 1973) was an American cardiologist and pioneer in electrocardiogram research.

Biography

Pardee was born on December 11, 1886, to Ensign Bennet Pardee, a physician. He was a grandnephew of Charles Inslee Pardee, former dean of the

New York Medical College New York Medical College (NYMC or New York Med) is a private medical school in Valhalla, New York. Founded in 1860, it is a member of the Touro College and University System. NYMC offers advanced degrees through its three schools: the School o ...

, and a direct descendant of William Brewster and William Bradford of the

Plymouth Colony Plymouth Colony (sometimes Plimouth) was, from 1620 to 1691, the British America, first permanent English colony in New England and the second permanent English colony in North America, after the Jamestown Colony. It was first settled by the pa ...

. He received his A.B. from Columbia College at age 18 and then received a M.D. from the

Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons (VP&S) is the graduate medical school of Columbia University, located at the Columbia University Irving Medical Center in the Washington Heights neighborhood of Manhattan. Founded i ...

. While completing his internship at

New York Hospital Weill Cornell Medical Center (previously known as New York Hospital or Old New York Hospital or City Hospital) is a research hospital in New York City. It is part of NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital and the teaching hospital for Cornell University. ...

, Pardee began research on heart disease using

Willem Einthoven Willem Einthoven (21 May 1860 – 29 September 1927) was a Dutch doctor and physiologist. He invented the first practical electrocardiograph (ECG or EKG) in 1895 and received the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1924 for it ("for the dis ...

's prototype electrocardiograph. In 1912, he started working at Medical Clinic of New York Hospita;, which is now Weill Cornell Medical Center. During

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, Pardee served as a captain in the

United States Army Medical Corps The Medical Corps (MC) of the U.S. Army is a staff corps (non-combat specialty branch) of the U.S. Army Medical Department (AMEDD) consisting of commissioned medical officers – physicians with either an M.D. or a D.O. degree, at least one ye ...

. He worked with British cardiologist Thomas Lewis to determine the symptoms of feigned or true heart seizure among patients. Pardee was known for his research on the electrocardiographic recognition and characterization of

myocardial infarction A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which may ...

and

ischemia Ischemia or ischaemia is a restriction in blood supply to any tissue, muscle group, or organ of the body, causing a shortage of oxygen that is needed for cellular metabolism (to keep tissue alive). Ischemia is generally caused by problems wi ...

. He was the first to describe the constant changes in electrocardiograms in coronary diseases in 1920, and he was the namesake of Pardee's sign, which is a takeoff of the T wave from the descending R wave that is above the electrocardiographic baseline, and Pardee's wave. Pardee taught at

Cornell University Medical College The Joan & Sanford I. Weill Medical College of Cornell University is Cornell University's biomedical research unit and medical school located in Upper East Side, Manhattan, New York City, New York. Weill Cornell Medicine is affiliated with New ...

and the New York Polyclinic Medical School and Hospital. He was also a fellow of the

American Medical Association The American Medical Association (AMA) is a professional association and lobbying group of physicians and medical students. Founded in 1847, it is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. Membership was approximately 240,000 in 2016. The AMA's state ...

Personal life

Pardee married Dorothy Dwight Porter, daughter of Henry Hobart Porter, former president of

American Water Works American Water is an American public utility company that, through its subsidiaries, provides water and wastewater services in the United States. It offers water and wastewater services to approximately 1,700 communities in 14 states serving a po ...

. She was a niece of Seton Porter, founder and chairman of National Distillers. Pardee died on February 28, 1973, at his 770

Park Avenue Park Avenue is a wide New York City boulevard which carries north and southbound traffic in the boroughs of Manhattan and the Bronx. For most of the road's length in Manhattan, it runs parallel to Madison Avenue to the west and Lexington Avenu ...

apartment at age 86. His brother, Irving Hotchkiss Pardee, married

Abby Rockefeller Mauzé Abigail Aldrich Rockefeller (November 9, 1903 – May 27, 1976) was an American philanthropist and the daughter of American financier John D. Rockefeller Jr. and a granddaughter of Standard Oil co-founder John D. Rockefeller. Family backgroun ...

until his death in 1949.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pardee, Harold E. B. 1886 births Columbia College (New York) alumni Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons alumni Cornell University faculty American cardiologists 1973 deaths