MUSC Waring Library Completes NFPF Grant

CHARLESTON, SC – The Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC)  Waring Historical Library  announced the completion of its second National Film Preservation Foundation (NFPF) basic preservation grant that preserved Mechanical Measurement of Heart Force in Situ, a film of an early heart research experiment using the strain gauge arch

Filmed circa 1950-1955 by Dr. Robert P. Walton, M.D., Ph.D., professor and chairman of the Department of Pharmacology from 1942 to 1971, the film shows an early strain gauge arch sewn outside a dog’s heart. The strain gauge is measuring the force of the contraction of the heart, beat by beat, after the dog was given the drug epinephrine. The demonstration shows the effects of epinephrine in speeding up the heart and increasing the force of contraction of the heart. It was used experimentally in animal studies, as depicted in this film, and was ultimately used in patients undergoing open-heart surgery. Dr. Walton and his staff recorded the contractions of the heart in an awake dog, at that time a groundbreaking procedure.

At the time of his death in 1971, Dr. Walton was the principal investigator of one of the oldest continuous research grants of the National Heart and Lung Institute, National Institutes of Health. Under the 24-year-old grant, Dr. Walton and his colleagues conducted extensive cardiovascular research and developed pioneering methods and devices for quantitatively measuring the contractile force of the heart as well as testing the effects of various drugs on the heart.

The NFPF basic preservation grant supported the creation of a film preservation master and two access copies of Mechanical Measurement of Heart Force in Situ. The film is now available to the public for on-site research.

About MUSC                                       

Founded in 1824 in Charleston, The Medical University of South Carolina is the oldest medical school in the South. Today, MUSC continues the tradition of excellence in education, research, and patient care. MUSC educates and trains more than 3,000 students and residents, and has nearly 11,000 employees, including approximately 1,500 faculty members. As the largest non-federal employer in Charleston, the university and its affiliates have collective annual budgets in excess of $1.7 billion. MUSC operates a 750-bed medical center, which includes a nationally recognized Children’s Hospital, the Ashley River Tower (cardiovascular, digestive disease, and surgical oncology), and a leading Institute of Psychiatry. For more information on academic information or clinical services, visitwww.musc.edu. For more information on hospital patient services, visit www.muschealth.com.