Marey sphygmograph in case, c. 1857-1870
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A Marey sphygmograph of lacquered brass and ivory in case of 1857-1870. The instrument is made under French patent and signed ‘Margaine Constructeur’ which could be the clockwork maker Francois Arsene Margaine of Paris.
In 1857, the French inventor, Dr. Étienne Jules Marey (1830-1904) described his sphygmograph. Dr. Marey was a pioneer of blood pressure measurement and other physiological studies. He also pioneered cinematography as an aid to some of these studies. His sphygmograph was held on the patient’s forearm with a cloth band. An ivory plate was positioned on the patient’s radial artery (the artery that parallels the radius bone in the arm). As the patient’s pulse moved the plate, that motion was transmitted to a stylus which was dipped in ink. The moving stylus traced an ink line representing that motion on a piece of paper, while the paper was pulled forward by a clockwork mechanism. The Marey Sphygmograph became the first instrument of its kind to be widely used in clinical medicine.
Case dimensions: 6,5 x 21 x 4,5 cm
