Improving health and patient outcomes Heart & Vessels

The heart is the hardest working muscle in the human body and pumps more than 8500 litres of blood every day. The cardiovascular system is made up of the heart, major blood vessels and fine arteries that deliver blood to every part of our body.

Doctor and patient Surgeon
  1. 1936

    Dr. Maude Abbott published her ATLAS OF CONGENITAL CARDIAC DISEASE in which she outlined a new classification system for congenital heart diseases

  2. 1940

  3. 1944

    During the Second World War, William T. Mustard served in the Canadian Army Medical Corps where he was the first to use prosthetic glass tubes to repair wounded arteries

  4. 1950

  5. 1951

    Wilfred Bigelow revolutionized the field of cardiovascular surgery yet again

  6. 1960

  7. 1963

    Eventually devoting his career exclusively to cardiac surgery, Mustard’s reputation for medical innovation continued

  8. May 1968

    Canada’s first heart transplant was performed in May of 1968

  9. 1970

  10. 1971

    Dr. Wilbert Keon perfected a life-saving emergency bypass operation that restores blood supply to dying heart muscles

  11. 1976

    The Montreal Heart Institute Research Centre was founded

  12. 1978

    Dr. Naranjan Dhalla led the first Centre of Excellence in Heart Research to be funded by the Medical Research Council of Canada

  13. 1980

  14. 1980

    The MHI oversaw the first coronary angioplasty in Canada

  15. 1983

    Heart transplants successfully resumed at the MHI in 1983

  16. 1984

    The Canadian Journal of Cardiology was created through the efforts of Dr. Dhalla and Dr. Robert Beamish

  17. 1984

    The Ottawa Heart Institute’s first heart transplant was performed by Keon and his team

  18. 1990

  19. 1996

    The Institute of Cardiovascular Science at Saint-Boniface Hospital, Winnipeg, was created

  20. 2000

  21. 2004 - 2015

    “Surgical Treatment for Ischemic Heart Failure” (STICH), the biggest heart surgery study ever conducted occurs.

  22. 2010

  23. 2020

About the CMHF

The Canadian Medical Hall of Fame (CMHF) celebrates Canadian heroes whose work advances health in Canada and the world, fostering future generations of health professionals through the delivery of local and national youth education programs and awards.

This enduring tribute to our country’s rich medical history is showcased here and in our physical exhibit hall in London, ON.