July 1999

Elton John Gets Pacemaker

Elton JohnFifty-two year old pop singer, Elton John, had a pacemaker inserted in order to regulate a heart irregularity. The star was on his way to the wedding of the Spice Girls' Victoria Adams and Manchester United soccer player David Beckham when he took ill. He was admitted to a hospital in London for tests, and had the pacemaker inserted the same day.

Learn about the Problem

Compare a healthy circulatory system to that of an individual with heart disease in the Biology Gateways activity: Cardiovascular System and Health: Heart Disease.

Learn about a standard diagnostic tool in the Biology Gateways activity: The Heart: Electrocardiogram.

If you have a basic understanding of electrochemistry and voltaic cells, you can learn about pacemakers. First look at how a healthy heart acts as a natural pacemaker in the Chemistry Explorer activity: Natural Pacemaker Cells. Then, examine three artificial pacemakers—only one of which was "approved for use"—in the Chemistry Explorer activity: An Artificial Pacemaker.

Think about the Problem

A pacemaker is an example of how technology can have a positive impact on our health. Radiation and toxic waste are examples of how technology can have a negative impact on our health. Some technologies—such as drugs—can have positive and negative impacts. Think about various technologies and how they affect the health of both individuals and the public at large.

For the Teacher: Extending the Problem

The Elton John AIDS Foundation provides funding for educational programs targeted at AIDS prevention, and elimination of prejudice and discrimination against HIV-affected individuals. The Foundation also supports programs that provide services to people living with HIV/AIDS. While AIDS can be a sensitive subject to discuss in a high school class, doing so could help save or improve the lives of some of the students in your classroom—maybe not today, but sometime in the future. It is important to have students learn about AIDS.

Coronary heart disease is America's No. 1 killer. Have students visit the American Heart Association where they can learn about warning signs, evaluate their risk, read about family health, and many more related topics.

Have students research some of the organizations that follow the impact of technology on health. A good place to start is the Medical Technology and Practice Patterns Institute. This site includes a directory (without WWW addresses) of technology-assessment organizations worldwide.

Sometimes more important to one's health than technology is having someone nearby who is well versed in first aid at the time of an emergency. Have students prepare a first aid fair, where they present first aid procedures to the class. Just make sure that students demonstrate procedures that don't require special training (e.g., yes treating snake bites, but no CPR). There are many good sites reviewing the basics of first aid. Here are a few of them:

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