There is a very advanced version of one, a bi-ventricular pacing device with a miniature defibrillator in my chest now with three wires threaded through the veins into two ventricles of the heart and to the central node. It is my second pacing device in three years and, miraculously; has increased the power of a severely damaged heart about 200%. I get to write this years after the medics originally predicted my death because of this machine and of the process of non-invasive surgery on the heart . The inventor of the balloon catheter which "...marked the beginning of noninvasive surgery..." is Thomas Fogarty whose invention was first used in 1961. His, too, is not a household name in spite of the 4 catheterizations my "interventional cardiologist" has done in the past 2.5 years. As in all the chapters, David (a photo editor and avid photographer) maintains the excitement visually with pictures and page designs that make such a book a page-turner.
When we get to the "Computers and Telecommunications" section and the chapter on Steve Wozniak we learn more about his 1976 home- built computer, the Apple. There is also (as I type away on my pretty, white iBook G3) a great picture of a kit-built Apple from 1976 encased in a personalized, wood case.
The book constantly draws me back since many of these inventors are shadowy figures known only by their inventions. Ole Evinrude's story is one fascinating story. Ever wonder about the beginnings of outboard motors? It is of interest for anyone with a curiosity of how things work, and; if you have a youngster with a budding interest in science and inventing, it is a book that will draw them into the history of inventions and the possibilities that a life
offers.
Article comments
1 - Eric Berlin
This sounds like a good and accessible pop science book. Thanks for this review, francisco.