A Fond Farewell to Dr. Henry Marriott

On August 31st, 2007, the electrophysiology and cardiology community lost a revered teacher and master electrocardiographer Dr. Henry Marriott at the ripe old age of 90. My first acquaintance with Dr. Marriott s textbook Practical Electrocardiography was when I was either in medical school or residency in Baltimore. Little did I know, that as I was learning the ECG in medical school at Johns Hopkins, Dr. Marriott was probably teaching and practicing across town at the University of Maryland. I used his book on electrocardiography as a first reference in order to learn how to read and interpret an electrocardiogram. Although others have also contributed to the introduction and methods necessary to understand how to read an ECG, Marriott s role cannot be understated. Marriott was born in Bermuda in 1917. He was a Rhodes Scholar and attended Oxford University. In addition, he worked under Sir Alexander Fleming, the acknowledged developer of penicillin. It is ironic that my book Practical Electrophysiology bears a significant resemblance to the title of Mr. Marriott s landmark book of the same name. Although I had not given any thought to Mr. Marriott when I came up with the title for my book, perhaps this similarity remains a tribute to this gentleman s contribution. He will be remembered as one of the quintessential electrocardiographers of his era.