To the Editor:
The recent article by Mehta and Khan in the Texas Heart Institute Journal (29:3), “Cardiology's 10 Greatest Discoveries of the 20th Century,” was of general interest but particularly valuable because many young physicians are rather ignorant of medical history—or worse, not interested.
Although a list of the 10 greatest “hits” is a product of personal opinion, I would like to quibble over the inclusion of the automatic implantable defibrillator (#9 on the list). The AICD can certainly be considered an advance, but because it is relatively new and its clinical uses remain very much in evolution, I think that its inclusion in the list is premature. The implantable pacemaker, on the other hand, warrants inclusion: have we forgotten that the pacemaker has shown powerful clinical benefits since about 1960 and really was a breakthrough in the management of very lethal conditions? Indeed one might consider the AICD an outgrowth of the pacemaker.