Historical aspects of electrocardiography

One hundred years ago, Augustus Desiré Waller recorded the human electrocardiogram for the first time, using a capillary electrometer. Electrocardiography only became clinically relevant in 1901 when Willem Einthoven devised his string galvanometer for this purpose. Sir Thomas Lewis was the key figure in showing the value of the electrocardiography for the diagnosis of disorders of cardiac rhythm and conduction, but many others amplified the technique to encompass the assessment of structural heart disease, especially when due to ischemia. Knowledge of their role and work gives us a better perspective when considering the development of surface electrocardiography.