Willem Einthoven’s Nobel-winning discovery that laid the foundations of the modern ECG
The Hindu — Health · 7 Nov 2026 · 1 min read
In 1924, Dutch physician and physiologist Willem Einthoven was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine “for his discovery of the mechanism of the electrocardiogram (ECG)”.
His work made it possible to record the electrical activity of the heart with greater accuracy.
By developing the string galvanometer and establishing a standard method for interpreting its recordings, Einthoven helped turn electrocardiography into an important tool for studying heart function.
Today, the ECG is routinely used to investigate irregular heart rhythms, detect signs of reduced blood supply to the heart muscle and identify evidence of previous heart attacks.
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