The sphygmograph ( ) was a mechanical device used to measure

blood pressure Blood pressure (BP) is the pressure of circulating blood against the walls of blood vessels. Most of this pressure results from the heart pumping blood through the circulatory system. When used without qualification, the term "blood pressure" r ...

in the mid-19th century. It was developed in 1854 by German

physiologist Physiology (; ) is the scientific study of functions and mechanisms in a living system. As a sub-discipline of biology, physiology focuses on how organisms, organ systems, individual organs, cells, and biomolecules carry out the chemical a ...

Karl von Vierordt Karl von Vierordt (July 1, 1818 – November 22, 1884) was a German physiologist. Vierordt was born in Lahr, Baden. He studied at the universities of Berlin, Göttingen, Vienna, and Heidelberg, and began a practice in Karlsruhe in 1842. In ...

(1818–1884). It is considered the first external, non-intrusive device used to estimate blood pressure. The device was a system of levers hooked to a scale-pan in which weights were placed to determine the amount of external pressure needed to stop blood flow in the

radial artery In human anatomy, the radial artery is the main artery of the lateral aspect of the forearm. Structure The radial artery arises from the bifurcation of the brachial artery in the antecubital fossa. It runs distally on the anterior part of the f ...

. Although the instrument was cumbersome and its measurements imprecise, the basic concept of Vierordt's sphygmograph eventually led to the

blood pressure cuff A sphygmomanometer ( ), a blood pressure monitor, or blood pressure gauge, is a device used to measure blood pressure, composed of an inflatable cuff to collapse and then release the artery under the cuff in a controlled manner, and a mercury ...

used today. In 1863,

Étienne-Jules Marey Étienne-Jules Marey (; 5 March 1830, Beaune, Côte-d'Or – 15 May 1904, Paris) was a French scientist, physiologist and chronophotographer. His work was significant in the development of cardiology, physical instrumentation, aviation, cinema ...

(1830–1904) improved the device by making it portable. Also he included a specialized instrument to be placed above the radial artery that was able to magnify

pulse wave A pulse wave or pulse train is a type of non-sinusoidal waveform that includes square waves (duty cycle of 50%) and similarly periodic but asymmetrical waves (duty cycles other than 50%). It is a term used in synthesizer programming, and is ...

s and record them on paper with an attached pen. In 1872,

Frederick Akbar Mahomed Frederick Henry Horatio Akbar Mahomed (11 April 1849 – 22 November 1884) was an internationally known British physician from Brighton, England. Family and personal life Frederick Henry Horatio Akbar Mahomed was born on 11 April 1849 in Brig ...

published a description of a modified sphygmograph. This modified version made the sphygmograph quantitative, so that it was able to measure

arterial blood pressure Blood pressure (BP) is the pressure of circulating blood against the walls of blood vessels. Most of this pressure results from the heart pumping blood through the circulatory system. When used without qualification, the term "blood pressure" r ...

. In 1880, Samuel von Basch (1837–1905) invented the

sphygmomanometer A sphygmomanometer ( ), a blood pressure monitor, or blood pressure gauge, is a device used to measure blood pressure, composed of an inflatable cuff to collapse and then release the artery under the cuff in a controlled manner, and a mercury (e ...

, which was then improved by

Scipione Riva-Rocci Scipione Riva Rocci (7 August 1863 in Almese, Piedmont – 15 March 1937 in Rapallo, Liguria) was an Italian internist, Pathology, pathologist and pediatrician. He is best known for the invention of an easy-to-use cuff-based version of the me ...

(1863–1937) in the 1890s. In 1901

Harvey Williams Cushing Harvey Williams Cushing (April 8, 1869 – October 7, 1939) was an American neurosurgeon, pathologist, writer, and draftsman. A pioneer of brain surgery, he was the first exclusive neurosurgeon and the first person to describe Cushing's disease. ...

improved it further, and Heinrich von Recklinghausen (1867–1942) used a wider cuff, and so it became the first accurate and practical instrument for measuring blood pressure.

References

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External links

* R.E. Dudgeon M.D.
The sphygmograph : its history and use as an aid to diagnosis in ordinary practice (1882).
' The Medical Heritage Library.
Drawing of Vierordt's Sphygmograph.
Medical equipment Blood pressure Physiological instruments