The Dr. W.G. Bigelow fonds consists of 21 series of textual records documenting the life and work of the pioneering Canadian heart surgeon, medical researcher, and co-developer of the cardiac pacemaker, Dr. Wilfred G. Bigelow:

0094-1 Appointment books
0094-2 Medical textbooks
0094-3 Case histories
0094-4 Medical conference programs
0094-5 Patient/surgery lists
0094-6 General patient files
0094-7 Correspondence
0094-8 Experimental and clinical research files
0094-9 Lectures and speeches
0094-10 Diagnoses and procedures
0094-11 Medical research grants-in-aid
0094-12 Professional Societies, Associations and Committees
0094-13 Toronto General Hospital files
0094-14 Medical insurance accounts
0094-15 University of Toronto files
0094-16 Medical journal publications
0094-17 Meetings
0094-18 Japanese publications on hypothermia research
0094-19 Travel files
0094-20 Medical office expenses
0094-21 Income tax returns

Collectively, the materials comprising this fonds illustrate virtually every aspect of Dr. Bigelow's personal and professional life as a surgeon and hospital division head, academic instructor and researcher, clinical investigator, author, lecturer, medical conference presenter and panellist, and member of numerous medical societies and medical/scientific committees.

In particular the fonds provides information about Dr. Bigelow's contributions to the advancement of cardiac surgery and the treatment of heart disease, especially his central accomplishments in contributing to the innovation and development of the surgical use of hypothermia in open-heart surgery and the electrical artificial cardiac pacemaker.

This series consists of four medical textbooks annotated by Dr. Bigelow in the course of his research, surgical, teaching and reviewing activities.

File 0094-2-0-4 contains, affixed to the inside front cover, a presentation card from the author addressed to Dr. Bigelow. Dr. Bigelow has annotated the card: "1994 - I was asked to write the book review by Anne [?] Sabaston - Annals Surg."

This series consists of patient case files illustrating various surgical problems and techniques, medical conditions and treatments. The materials in this series have been arranged into 20 sub-series, each dedicated to a specific medical or surgical subject:

0094-3-1 Case Histories - Ventriculomytomy
0094-3-2 Case Histories - Aorto-Coronary Bypass
0094-3-3 Case Histories - Hypothermia
0094-3-4 Case Histories - Auricular/Atrial Septal Defect
0094-3-5 Case Histories - Mitral Valvoplasty
0094-3-6 Case Histories - Aortic Valves Homograft
0094-3-7 Case Histories - Aortic Bicuspidization
0094-3-8 Case Histories - Coarctation of Aorta
0094-3-9 Case Histories - Mitral Annuloplasty
0094-3-10 Case Histories - Mitral Commissurotomy
0094-3-11 Case Histories - Tricuspid Annuloplasty
0094-3-12 Case Histories - Pacemaker Insertion
0094-3-13 Case Histories - Pericardiectomy
0094-3-14 Case Histories - Aorto-Iliac Arterial Graft
0094-3-15 Case Histories - Atrial Myxoma
0094-3-16 Case Histories - Sinus of Valsalva
0094-3-17 Case Histories - Aortic Valvoplasty
0094-3-18 Case Histories - Abdominal (Aortic) Aneurysm
0094-3-19 Case Histories - Combined Aorto-Coronary Bypass/Internal Mammary Artery Implant
0094-3-20 Case Histories - Internal Mammary Artery Implant

Case history files typically contain standard medical documents including operation records, consultation records, autopsy reports, clinical histories, discharge summary reports, cardiovascular rounds reports, pathology reports, radiology reports, heart catheterization reports, angiograms, and electrocardiograms. The files also contain correspondence between Dr. Bigelow and medical colleagues and/or patients, and documents relating to patients' medical insurance and bills for service.

The materials in this series document developments in the medical and surgical treatment of specific cardiovascular defects and provide evidence of Dr. Bigelow's contributions to the innovation and development of such treatments.

Although most of the surgical procedures documented in this series were first performed predominantly on public ward patients, the files comprising this series are nearly exclusively those of Dr. Bigelow's private patients, whose medical records he was responsible for maintaining. Case files for public ward patients were maintained by the Toronto General Hospital's Department of Medical Records, and files compiled prior to 1980 have largely been destroyed.

This sub-series consists of patient case files illustrating ventriculomyotomies performed by Dr. Bigelow. Files pertaining to Dr. Bigelow's public patients are arranged alphabetically by patient surname. The remaining files are ordered by patient case number, which can be found on the physical records. Patient case numbers have been omitted from file titles to ensure compliance with Ontario’s Personal Health Information Protection Act, 2004 (PHIPA), but the original order has been retained.

This sub-series consists of patient case files illustrating mitral valvoplasties performed by Dr. Bigelow. The files are ordered by patient case number, which can be found on the physical records. Patient case numbers have been omitted from file titles to ensure compliance with Ontario’s Personal Health Information Protection Act, 2004 (PHIPA), but the original order has been retained.

This sub-series consists of patient case files illustrating aortic bicuspidization surgeries performed by Dr. Bigelow. Files pertaining to Dr. Bigelow's public patients are arranged alphabetically by patient surname. The remaining files are ordered by patient case number, which can be found on the physical records. Patient case numbers have been omitted from file titles to ensure compliance with Ontario’s Personal Health Information Protection Act, 2004 (PHIPA), but the original order has been retained.

This sub-series consists of patient case files illustrating mitral commissurotomy surgeries performed by Dr. Bigelow. The files are ordered by patient case number, which can be found on the physical records. Patient case numbers have been omitted from file titles to ensure compliance with Ontario’s Personal Health Information Protection Act, 2004 (PHIPA), but the original order has been retained.

This sub-series consists of patient case files illustrating pacemaker insertion surgeries performed by Dr. Bigelow. The files are ordered by patient case number, which can be found on the physical records. Patient case numbers have been omitted from file titles to ensure compliance with Ontario’s Personal Health Information Protection Act, 2004 (PHIPA), but the original order has been retained.

This sub-series consists of patient case files illustrating aorto-iliac arterial graft surgeries performed by Dr. Bigelow. The files are ordered by patient case number, which can be found on the physical records. Patient case numbers have been omitted from file titles to ensure compliance with Ontario’s Personal Health Information Protection Act, 2004 (PHIPA), but the original order has been retained.

This sub-series consists of patient case files illustrating combined aorto-coronary bypass/ internal mammary artery implant surgeries performed by Dr. Bigelow. The files are ordered by patient case number, which can be found on the physical records. Patient case numbers have been omitted from file titles to ensure compliance with Ontario’s Personal Health Information Protection Act, 2004 (PHIPA), but the original order has been retained. Files pertaining to Dr. Bigelow's staff patients are arranged alphabetically by patient surname.