The examination of the pulse : including a description of the sphygmograph / by Byrom Bramwell.

  • Bramwell Byrom, Sir, 1847-1931.
Date:
1881
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The examination of the pulse : including a description of the sphygmograph / by Byrom Bramwell. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh. The original may be consulted at the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh.

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    THE EXAMINATION OF THE PULSE.1 By observing the characters of the pulse we obtain valuable infor- mation as to—(a) the condition of the heart and arterial system; (b) the condition of the general tone (the system as a whole); the frequency and strength of the pulse being chiefly valuable in this respect. The radial is the artery which is usually examined, and in speaking of the pulse the radial pulse is meant; but, in cases of cardiac and arterial disease, the condition of other vessels, the carotid, temporal, brachial, etc., should be noted. Mode of Observing the Pulse.—We observe the characters of the radial pulse by—(a) the fingers (palpation); (6) the eye (inspection); (c) the sphygmograph. Palpation, or the Examination of the Radial Artery by the Finger. —The correct observation of the exact characters of the pulse of the finger is a matter of extreme difficulty, and is only acquired by long practice. Since, however, it is the method which is univer- sally available, the student should spare no pains to make himself master of it. Two or three fingers should be applied over the artery where it becomes superficial at the lower end of the radius, and the condition of the pulse noted as regards—(a) its frequency ; (b) its rhythm,- (c) its volume; (d) its compressibility or tension; (e) the special characters of each pulse-wave (celerity, dicrotisra, etc.); (/) the condition of the arterial coats; (g) in cases of sus- pected aneurism or intra-thoracic tumour a comparison of the two radial pulses should be made. Inspection of the Pulse.—In well-nourished individuals the radial pulse is hardly, if at all, visible when the circulation is tranquil. During cardiac excitement, and in emaciated subjects, the pulsation can often be distinctly seen. Pulsation is very visible in certain cases of disease, notably in atheroma, where the artery stands out as a rigid, tortuous cord, and in aortic regurgitation, where it is 1 Being a lecture delivered in the Extra-Academical School of Medicine, Edinburgh.