Inventing the Artificial Heart - Click to Enlarge

I completed the hypnotherapy course with honors and Max, our professor, said he'd be offering a post-graduate course in the fall. I still credit my photographic memory for making me one of the top students in the group. I became so proficient that my friends at Mt. Vernon called me in for consultation on some recalcitrant cases to help minimize post-operative pain. I would wait in the recovery room for the patients to arrive immediately following surgery and as they were coming out of anesthesia, I'd use the appropriate suggestions to block their pain responses. The results were generally so effective that more surgeons were enticed to call on me, which augmented my income. I found it deeply gratifying to visit the patients later in the day and learn that many of them required no pain medication.

At one point, Paul had the opportunity to take part in an operation involving his son, Stacy. Fascinated by medicine, Paul was moving more closely to a real involvement with the technology and procedures of the operating room.

Stephanie was well but little Stacy kept getting sick so often that I consulted Dr. Frank Marrone about the problem. Frank made a house call as a favor to me and said that the kid's tonsils were so inflamed that unless they were removed, he'd continue to have periodic infections and bronchial problems. I asked him if he would do the job at Mt. Vernon so that I could be with my boy in O.R. Frank agreed and scheduled the procedure for the following week. The night before surgery I tip toed into Stacy's room and converted his sleep to hypnosis and while he was under, I made appropriate suggestions to minimize anxiety and post-operative pain.

At six a.m. I pulled into the hospital parking lot, turned off the lights and sat quietly in the dark for a few minutes. In the east faint traces of the sun were just beginning to show its fiery face on the horizon. The sky was a Van Gogh masterpiece as I shook the sleep from my eyes and opened the door. The cold snap of an early winter morning revived me as I left the car. Dottie, my wife, had already brought Stacy to the hospital for his pre-op. I headed for the doorway where the yellow entrance light cast an eerie glow on the snow- covered sidewalk. As I entered, I saw Frank waving at me and we made our way to the doctors' lounge. Sam had our caps and gowns ready and while changing we discussed Stacy's case. Scrubbing in at the big, white tile sink in front of O.R. felt so good as the hot lather foamed up in my chilled hands. Using little stiff brushes we scrubbed our fingers, nails and arms for several minutes. I told Frank that I had hypnotized the boy and it was possible he might not require too much sedation. "We'll play it by ear Winch", he said as the scrub nurse helped us into our gloves and gowns. A sprinkle of talc made the gloves grip snugly and we entered the operating suite as I held the door open with my foot.

In the middle of the big, white tiled room lay Stacy with a huge light shining down upon him. He appeared to be in a deep sleep, which was confirmed by the sparse surgical team that Frank used for a back up. We moved close to the table and I whispered a few words into Stacy's ear. My son raised his index finger in response and I could see Frank's eyes smile above his mask. "If he should wake up", Frank said, "my anesthesiologist will put him down fast. Let's begin." There was a clamp holding the child's moth open and Frank picked up a surgical tool called a "Shludder" that resembled a small guillotine. He fit the instrument neatly over the left tonsil as he grabbed the tissue with a hemostat and pushed the plunger. The guillotine sliced the tonsil off at the base and it dangled from the hemostat but Stacy didn't move.

This is me receiving my doctorate, commemorating my work with the artificial heart, for which I was awarded the first United States Patent.

We looked for a few bleeders and suddenly they emerged. Little red dots of blood that grew progressively larger. I swabbed the field as Frank picked up the cauterize tool and touched each spot with electricity. I could see little sparks and hear sizzling sounds as the curette "cooked" the tiny arteries and stopped the hemorrhages. "That's got all of them", said Frank as wisps of blue smoke floated up through Stacy's mouth. We kept watching until we were certain that no more bleeders appeared and the left side was done. "Now, let's get the other one" he said.

Frank picked up the Schluder again and I grabbed the hemostat. The he hesitated

and a mischievous twinkle came into his eyes. He glanced furtively over his right shoulder then over the left then all around the room. As I followed his gaze I noticed a small window in the door and no one was looking in. Our sparse team was all but snoozing during this routine procedure. "How would you like to get the other one?" he asked me. I looked at him in total disbelief. He handed me the Schluder and he took the hemostat. None of the team was aware of the drama that was unfolding. I placed the instrument over the remaining tonsil and Frank tugged it snugly into the guillotine. "Okay", he said, "Go ahead and squeeze." A bead of perspiration trickled down my forehead as last minute doubt assailed me and my breathing became labored. I looked at my son's little face and wavered. "Now Winch, now!" said Frank as I steeled myself and squeezed. In a flash the blade sliced through the tissue and the tonsil dangled from Frank's hemostat. We followed the same procedure, caught the bleeders and the surgery was done. Stacy had never budged and everyone was amazed, including his dad. I won't forget that day if I live to be a hundred. His mother took him home and I told her I'd be there later to check on him. In the meantime, if she needed me I'd be at the hospital.

I called home to check on Stacy and Dottie told me he was doing remarkably well. The boy was enjoying plenty of ice cream and felt very little pain.

A show business opportunity turned into a lifelong professional and personal friendship when Paul met Dr. Henry Heimlich, future developer of the Heimlich Maneuver.

When I arrived home there was a message from Chubby, my agent, that he'd received an offer from the "Arthur Murray Dance Party" Show asking me to join a celebrity contest where the first prize was a brand new Buick.

"Winch," he began, "I know how you feel about prime time but you don't have to do a ventriloquist act, you simply have to dance with an Arthur Murray instructress. You get paid for the show and if you win the car it's a bonus. What do you say?"

It had been quite awhile since I'd even considered a prime time appearance but if it was only to dance, I said okay.

When I look back, I find it amazing how one situation can wield a profound influence upon another. I never would have dreamed that being a guest on Arthur Murray's show would send my life off in yet another direction. I wasn't that much of a dancer so the credit must go to one of Arthur's teacher who danced with me but I won a brand new Buick, which really should have gone to Ricardo Montalban. Ricardo was a superb dancer and I wouldn't have stood a chance but the audience that evening was mostly youngsters and I danced the Jitterbug while Montalban performed a flawless tango. I know I truly didn't deserve the prize but history is history and I won the car. Katherine and Arthur threw a cast party and invited me to drive my Buick to their home in Westchester for the weekend. I didn't want to take Dottie because we weren't getting along too well and I would really enjoy Katherine and Arthur's company without her.

I arrived at the Murray's in time to meet their guests and enjoy a sumptuous dinner. Katherine and Arthur had lovely twin daughters, Jane and Janet. Jane introduced me to her fiancé, Hank and from the moment I learned that he was a physician, I spent most of the evening bending his ear. People seem to be impressed by celebrities but doctors are definitely my cup of tea. Hank was a studious young man and when he learned of my interest in medicine, he was impressed. But when he also heard that I had enrolled at Columbia, he became my mentor. Hank happened to be the chief resident at the Montefiore hospital in the Bronx and asked me if I'd enjoy observing some procedures in the operating room. That would make two different hospitals I could learn at and I said yes real fast. I told him about Bill and Frank td Mt. Vernon and he knew some of the guys that worked there.

I am demonstrating the artificial heart for Eunice Kennedy Shriver as Howard Cosel, famed broadcaster, watches. Eunice Shriver is Jack Kennedy’s sister and Arnold Schwarzenegger's mother-in-law.

More experience at hospitals lead to the decision to create a remarkable invention, the artificial heart.

I arrived at Hank's the hospital filled with anticipation. What would I see there that I hadn't already seen? It was a remarkable day from the moment I entered Hank's office.

""Let's get you into your greens", he said as he led me to the doctors' lounge. The clean hospital facility literally sparkled and we slipped into freshly laundered garments. We donned a pair of shoe covers, surgical caps and masks and stepped on a plate that removed all static electricity from our bodies. Then I followed Hank as we entered the first surgical suite. "I want you to meet George Robinson", he said as we entered the O.R. Dr. George Robinson, who I got to know well, was a cardiac surgeon who was operating on a lovely little blonde girl about three years of age. He had her chest open and practically held her little heart in his hand. George simply nodded without looking up and grunted hello. I watched in fascination as he repaired a congenital defect in her heart. Hank moved me right along to the next suite where a Dr. Dominick Pelillo was carefully repairing two damaged fallopian tubes for a young woman that hoped to become pregnant. This was day number one for me and Hank wasn't sure how I'd react so we breezed through one room after another and I watched a series of procedures that amazed me. I knew there would be many more such visits and I also knew that medicine held a real fascination for me. We took a coffee break and were sitting in the hospital cafeteria when the paging system boomed, "Dr. Henry Heimlich wanted in O.R immediately." Hank had an emergency and left me with an open invitation. "You may come again whenever you want Paul. You did very well". Then he was gone.

That day impressed me more than any other before because the procedures were so daring and innovative. I felt a sense of elation that's impossible to describe. My work in TV was to make people laugh but the "miracles" I had just witnessed made me feel that I was living at both ends of the spectrum. I took advantage of Hank's offer, visiting often and gradually he became my best friend.

Early one morning, I watched a sad George Robinson lose a patient during open-heart surgery and an idea struck me that sent me running to Heimlich. "Hank", I began excitedly, "I just watched poor George lose his patient and I got to wondering if an artificial heart with its own power source were available, could it keep a patient alive during a crucial period?" He looked at me and smiled. "You'd make a good physician Paul", he said. "You build your own dummies, so why don't you make a model of your idea and if you need my input, I'd be glad to help". All I needed to hear was that my thinking wasn't too far out and I went right to work constructing a model.

Dr. Heimlich recommends that Paul apply for a patent. He shows a personal interest in learning hypnotism from Paul, but then decides not to.

By this time I knew George well enough to borrow some of his books on the function of the heart and I began in earnest to build a working prototype. Odd as it may seem, the heart wasn't that different from building a dummy; the valves and chambers were not unlike the moving and eyes and closing mouth of a puppet. Yes, meeting Heimlich at the Murrays had set me off on a path that I could never have anticipated. For months I worked and reworked the model, running to Hank for advice each time I got stuck. True to his word, he was always available with suggestions for corrections and improvements. Not being very conversant with the dynamics of cardiac function, I overlooked several vital circulatory issues and each time, Hank put me back on track. At last, after examining all the changes, Hank looked at me and said very simply, "If this were my idea I would get it patented." I could scarcely believe my ears. After all the many months of trial and error, his encouragement sent me straight to my patent attorney's office where I applied for a patent and then I awaited the examiner's report. The initial search revealed that the device was cleared for patent and no prior art had been found. I filed in the summer of 1956.

I was filled with anticipation and excitement but things don't happen quickly in patenting, so while waiting I brought my model to the American Heart Association and offered to give it to them in exchange for a grant that would finance some animal trials. They simply laughed at me and told me to stick to my dummies. I sought other sources and always met similar responses. After all, what does a ventriloquist know about such things? It took me almost eight years to convince the

Inventing As I stood by the cow, it nuzzled me. While I petted it, I could hear the click-clack of the artificial heart. I felt a connection to the animal impossible to describe.

examiner of the device's possibilities. He too thought I was wacky but he finally acceded, making me the first inventor to ever receive a U.S. patent for an artificial heart. Hank and I were ecstatic but finding a group to proceed with research was quite another matter. Meanwhile, I was faltering under the academic load at Columbia University because I was spending all my spare time between Hank's facility, Mount Vernon Hospital, three long drives to Harper each week and doing my Saturday morning TV show. As much as it pained me, I had to give up school or go bananas. While I waited for new developments on the Artificial Heart, I started working with hypnotherapy and began earning some respectable fees. Hank eventually learned of my involvement with hypnosis and asked me to try it on one of his patients who was having severe post-operative pain.

The induction with Hank's patient off beautifully and I never saw Hank so enthusiastic. He called me the same evening and went into rapture. "I've never seen anything so dramatic." he began. "My patient is pain free. He can sit up, cough, eat and even roll onto his side. It's incredible Paul, can you teach me how to do it?"

"Sure Hank" I replied. "Let's try one tomorrow".

The following morning I was at Hank's side in the recovery room as a patient, who had just undergone extensive surgery, was slowly coming out of anesthesia. "This is the perfect moment Hank", I whispered, "He's still in the twilight zone and the first voice he wants to hear, beside God's, is his surgeon's. Go ahead and say exactly what I told you". Heimlich is a scrupulously moral person and that's precisely what was holding him back. He became self-conscious because his staff was present and watching. His reluctance to begin was (in his own words) "They'll think I'm a witch doctor." The upshot is that his ethics got in the way and he just couldn't follow through.

Paul eventually gets final approval on his invention, leading to a meeting years later with Dr. Kolff at the University of Utah.

Finally the patent examiner gave final approval to my brainchild and a U.S. patent was issued in my name. I remember the thrill of receiving the official document from our government. Then one day out of the blue, I received a letter from The University of Utah signed by a Dr. Willem Kolff who was in charge of the Division of Artificial Organs. He explained that they had been working on a similar device and when they attempted to patent an artificial heart, my patent was sighted as prior art. He requested that I come to Salt Lake City for a meeting and indicated that the heart they were using in their animal studies was based upon the same principles as those found in my patent. Hmm, what was the implication I wondered. Was he concerned about the possibility of infringement? I called Hank and sought his council. He suggested that I go to Utah and find out just what the University wanted.

Arriving in Salt Lake I was taken to the University where I met Dr. Kolff and his team. I was in for a thrill that very few will experience in a lifetime. As I was ushered into a huge room, a sight met my eyes that made me gasp in astonishment. Standing in a pen and yoked to special pumping equipment was a cow. The animal had been living for months without a heart of its own. Beating in its chest with a rhythm that was quite audible, was an artificial heart that went click-clack but this amazing creature was a clinically functioning bovine that was eating, mooing and defecating. As I approached the animal it nuzzled me and when I stroked its head I felt a connection to the creature that's impossible to describe. Like a father that gazes upon a child he has sired, I almost began to sob. If only Hank were here to share this moment with me and see that all our efforts had come to fruition, it would have been sheer perfection. I found it difficult to pull myself away from such a wonder so I dallied a few minutes longer with "Lord Tennyson" then I retired to Kollf's office to discus the reason I had been summoned.

Everything seemed to become clear the moment Kolff began to speak. "We've been working on this project for quite some time" he began, "and recently we happened across your patent." I waited for the shoe to drop. "We humbly request that you donate your patent to our University". The other shoe dropped loud and clear.

"I'm very flattered" I replied, "but I'll need some time to think this over".

"I understand" he said. "In the meantime, I would like to hear any ideas or suggestions you might have and would you be interested to participate in a transplant on another animal with us?"

I tried to act blasé but I almost began to drool at the prospect of scrubbing in with this team for the surgery. Normally it would be illegal for a layman to assist in such a procedure but since the project fell in the category of veterinarian research, there were no such restrictions.

This model was built by Robert Jarvik and is based on the same principles of my patent, which I developed in conjunction with my great friend, Dr. Henry Heimlich.

"We would set up a transplant for you" Kolff continued, "and notify the media that the artificial heart we are using is based upon the same principles of your patent. In addition, we will provide you access to our facilities for further research and enter into a formal contract with you spelling out all the terms. As soon as you decide if donating your patent is agreeable, please let me know". I left Utah with my head in the clouds and the vision of that incredible cow nuzzling me as I fed it some hay. It was never my intention to make money on the device because I always considered it would eventually be a contribution to humanity, and I'm sure Hank felt the same.

I went back to the University as soon as Dr. Kolff notified me that he had had made all the arrangements for a transplant. Scrubbing in once again with hot water and lather in my hands, rekindled all my delicious memories. Another cow had been prepped and draped and lay anesthetized upon a huge table. In a few minutes the procedure began and the team of veterinarian surgeons was top notch. They worked swiftly and expertly, handing me the excised cow heart as I handed them the plastic one. Assisting in the transplant was far more rewarding than all the procedures I'd watched at Mt. Vernon and Montefiore combined. When the operation was completed the unusual patient was wheeled into recovery to awaken before being yoked into its pen. The media were invited in to cover the event and we stood proudly over the animal as a moment of sublime triumph flooded over me and I thought of Hank back in New York. Before leaving Utah, I agreed to donate my patent and promised to return for the official signing and make the presentation before all the media, as Dr. Kolff had stipulated. A few months later I did just that while the Provost Dean of the college signed the agreement and the donation became official. My patent, with all rights to it, became the property of the University of Utah.

Inventing the Artificial Heart - Click to Enlarge

In the meantime Hank and Jane had married and he told me that they would be in Los Angeles for a press conference at which he would announce that he had developed a technique for saving the lives of choking victims. He asked me to meet him at the Biltmore hotel for the event and play the role of the "victim" for his demonstration. He called his "technique The Heimlich Maneuver" and demonstrated it for the first time to the world in L.A. It was great fun to play the victim and feel his strong pressure under my ribs as he squeezed the air out of my lungs. Today, almost everyone is familiar with the maneuver that has saved hundreds if not thousands of lives around the world from choking and drowning accidents. Yes, everyone knows the maneuver but not many know that he is the son-in-law of Katherine and Arthur Murray. I've loved the man for many years and still credit him as my mentor. I will never forget his kindness in helping me with the first patented Artificial Heart when most others regarded me simply as a ventriloquist or as a nut.

I returned again to Utah when I heard rumblings that the FDA was considering trying the technology on a human being. I met a young man there who had been hired to adapt the invention for human physiology. His name was Robert Jarvik, a brilliant biomedical engineer who had begun to modify the heart for a human being. Until then my patent had been used primarily for animal studies and was much too large for the human chest. By the time Jarvik had reduced the unit, a brave dentist named Barney Clark volunteered to be the first recipient of an artificial heart. I continued to make suggestions to Kolf because my patent had called for rechargeable batteries to power the unit but Kolff preferred compressed air, which I still believe is impractical. As the project drew near I began to perceive a change of attitude towards me and correspondence from Kolff began to dwindle.

One day I received a call from Merv Griffin asking me to appear on his talk show with Dr. Christiaan Barnard, the first Cardiac surgeon to do a human heart transplant, and discuss the pros and cons of live heart transplant versus artificial ones. It turned out to be one of the most emotional programs in which I had ever participated. As Chris Barnard and I sat being interviewed by Merv, millions of viewers saw a rare moment of TV history. As Dr. Barnard was relating an incident in which he was operating upon a dear friend, he revealed that his patient expired on the table. "Paul" he said to me, "If I'd had a devise like yours at the time my friend might have survived". Then he stopped talking and began to sob. It was heart rending to just sit there quietly watching him until he finally regained his composure. What an historic moment as everyone in the audience, as well as Merv and I, were close to tears. Following the show Chris and I had a long chat in his dressing room and he told me that he would be willing to help us with further research at his hospital in Cape Town South Africa. I was thrilled to have this renowned scientist volunteer assist us in making the artificial heart a worldwide project. I called Kolff that night and asked him to send Chris some hearts. He assured me he would and thanked me for making the contact. Chris and I began a correspondence and months passed but no heart arrived. I kept calling Utah to inquire but Kolff never returned my calls. Before I donated my patent Kolff had asked me to involve Frank Sinatra as chairman of a new charity called "The Artificial Heart Fund" but Frank turned me down. I was able to interest Lucille Ball but Kolff didn't think she had enough clout.

Letter from Dr. William Kolff Acknowledging My Invention - Click to Enlarge

All news of progress from Utah ceased and I had to learn about further transplants as we all did, from news broadcasts. My calls and correspondence went unanswered and nowhere did a word of my contribution ever appear. In the meantime they gave Jarvik, who had never graduated from medical school at the time, a doctorate degree and when I tried to appear on talk shows to tell my story, the host called Utah to check my claim and was told that I had nothing to do with the project. When I presented my contract with the University to the media, they responded with the old cliché, "We already have the story so don't bother us with facts". The only person that was courageous enough to tell the truth was Hank Heimlich in a series of interviews but no one listened. Thanks just the same Hank, you were never so threatened by your ego to be incapable of giving a little credit. Bless you and

Jane for opening the door for me to a most exciting and rewarding period in my life.