Collection close-up

All objects have a story to tell. In medical history in particular, these stories are often a thrilling blend of terror, hope, skill and beauty.  

Here, we shine a light on an object from the Marks-Hirschfeld Museum of Medical History collection to reveal fascinating detail of past lives and to celebrate its important place within the collection.

Dudgeon-type Sphygmograph, c. 1900

The sphygmograph is an instrument used to capture a graphic representation of the pulse. Its development was instrumental in advancing our understanding of cardiovascular physiology and was a precursor to the sphygmomanometer (blood pressure monitor) we are familiar with today.

The instrument pictured here was strapped to the wrist with a wide ribbon or leather band, and a delicate lever on the radial artery moved a tiny stylus which recorded the pulse on smoked paper. It is an intricate, beautiful and clever piece of design.

Prior to the invention of electrocardiography, the sphygmograph was the only way to study cardiac arrhythmias and yet they were not widely adopted in clinical practice, with practitioners preferring the traditional ‘fingers on the pulse’ method. The delicate machines were difficult to use, and it took practice and training to gain an adequate pulse tracing. They were briefly embraced by the psychiatric community in the late 19th century in an attempt to ‘coax the narratives of madness from blood’. Correlations between the character of the pulse and the character of the illness were made, specifically in diagnoses of mania, melancholia and epilepsy and their subsequent response to drugs or other treatments.

The sphygmograph also enjoyed momentary fame as a lie detection device, linking emotion to blood pressure and pulse.

More about this sphygmograph can be found in the Museum’s publication “50 Treasures: a collection of objects from the Marks-Hirschfeld Museum of Medical History”.