Jesús Alanís and the first recording of the his bundle: the scientist and the man

The anatomy and physiology of the specialized conduction system has intrigued investigators since the 19th century and is still not fully understood. Dr. Wilhelm His Jr. is well known because he discovered the A-V bundle, and Dr. Sunao Tawara is rightly credited with the discovery of the atrioventricular (AV) node, but who was the first to record the electrical activity of the His bundle? This paper reviews the historical background and scientific contributions made by Dr. Jesús Alanís in the middle of the 20th century working at the National Institute of Cardiology in Mexico City. Collaborating with outstanding investigators such as Arturo Rosenblueth, Dr. Alanís recorded for the first time the electrical activity of the His bundle in the isolate canine heart. That the recorded electrogram was indeed the His bundle and not the AV node was confirmed by detailed studies that set the basis for modern clinical electrophysiology. The life and research contributions of this extraordinary man are reviewed in the context of a unique group of investigators who made significant advances in cardiac electrophysiology.