Charles F. Wooley
Charles F. Wooley (1929-2008) was one of the earliest full time academicians in the Division of Cardiovascular Medicine and was Director of the Cardiology Catheterization Laboratory (1963-1971). After establishing the Overstreet Cardiovascular Teaching and Research Laboratory, Wooley served as its Director from 1982 to 1991. Notable contributions from this lab were the studies of left bundle branch block which became the basis for biventricular pacing, aortic physiology and pathology, connective tissue disorders, and his family study.
Early on, prior to most contemporary cardiologists, Wooley became interested in pacemakers and electrophysiologic studies. These early EP studies defined mechanisms of atrial arrhythmias and atrial conduction disorders (he was one of the first to do such studies). He was an expert in angiography of valvular and congenital heart disease, including some innovative studies with upright posture. He also pioneered intracardiac sound and hifidelity pressure recordings.
Wooley’s major areas of interest were mitral and tricuspid disease, mitral valve prolapse and MVP syndrome (for which he developed the definitive classification and disease mechanisms), function and disorders of the aorta, cardiovascular manifestations of connective tissue disorders, and his family with familial cardiomyopathy – the studies of which evolved over 35 years (1st publication in 1972) and eventually defined the natural history, genetic basis, pathology, and therapy. This study identified the appearance of hereditary disease in middle life and its progression from arrhythmia to muscle disease.
After retirement in 1992, he remained active in the Division of Cardiovascular Medicine. As his interest in medical history grew in the 1990’s, he along with others developed the Medical Heritage Center at The Ohio State University Health Sciences Library in 1997.
In the last half of his academic career, Wooley became a world renowned historian. Wooley’s interest in the historical aspects of mitral valve prolapse began with realization that MVP was not a new disease. DaCosta’s original work during the Civil War in which he described midsystolic clicks in “disabled” soldiers led Wooley to uncover the MVP story. Wooley wrote nearly twenty papers on this story and compiled them in his book, “The Irritable Heart of Soldiers and the Origins of Angelo-American Cardiology” published in 2002. He was also the author of “Academic Heritage: The Transmission of Excellence” (1992), “The Second Blessing: Columbus Medicine and Health The Early Years” (2006) and countless articles and papers.
The Medical Heritage Center has an archival collection of Dr. Wooley’s and the finding aid for it can be viewed at https://hsl.osu.edu/mhc/pdf/charles-f-wooley-md-collection
The MHC also sells copies of some of his publications: https://hsl.osu.edu/service-areas/mhc/services/publications-sale
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