Wilhelm His Jr. (1863–1934)—The man behind the bundle

Wilhelm His Jr. (1863–1934) was a Swiss-born cardiologist and anatomist. In 1893, he discovered the bundle of His—the specialized tissue in the heart that transmits the electrical impulses and helps synchronize contraction. He pioneered studies in cardiac conduction and coined the term “heart block,” which he identified as the cause of Adams-Stokes disease. He was a professor of medicine at the University of Berlin, became the dean of medicine in 1918 and in 1928 was elected rector of the University of Berlin. Through his long clinical and teaching career he became better known for his work on gout and diseases of the joints. “Trench fever,” or Werner-His disease, was also named after him. This report presents the life and work of Wilhelm His Jr., who was described by his colleagues as “a master of his profession, a great physician, investigator, and a well cultured gentleman.”