A Brief Journey into the History of the Arterial Pulse

Figure 2

Pulsilogy of Sanctorius: this device consisted of a scale of inches and a cord with a movable weight marked with a transverse line. The physician would move the pendulum and note the pulse with his fingers simultaneously. Then, the physician would change the length of the line until the speed of the running pendulum would coincide with the pulse rate, thus showing the pulse rate as the number of inches.