Sellers, with wife Britt Ekland, in 1964, the year of the article.

It might seem odd to find the late, great protean actor Peter Sellers in the pages of a science journal, but he was a perfect subject for the Popular Science piece, “Wiring People for Life,” in 1964 because of his heart problems. The actor, known to have serious drug issues, had a series of heart attacks the previous year at age 38. The Popular Science article focused on Sellers being treated with a then-experimental external pacemaker for his severe coronary problems. The piece is subtitled: “Today, miracle electronic devices keep thousands of damaged bodies going. Tomorrow, they may help the paralyzed to walk.”

Pacemakers have never allowed the paralyzed to walk, but technology advanced and Sellers eventually received an internal pacemaker that allowed him two more decades of life. An excerpt:

“Last April film funnyman Peter Sellers lay critically ill in Los Angeles’ Cedar of Lebanon Hospital, his heart weakened and wobbly after a crushing coronary attack. Doctors held no hope for his recovery, but they began hooking up a new medical machine–an external heart ‘pacemaker.’

Fastening two leads on Sellers’ chest with small suction cups, a cardiologist started electrical impulses flowing to the star’s fluttery chest. These helped guide and steady its beat–but the 38-year-old British actor’s condition worsened. Still, the doctors continued to use the pacemaker. Then, slowly, Sellers began to recover.

His heart became steadier and stronger…the pacemaker was used less often…finally not at all. But the leads never left Sellers’ chest for three more days. Then he was taken off the critical list and the machine was disconnected. The pacemaker had once more worked a near-miracle.”