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sphygmograph
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sphygmograph

medical instrument
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Quick Summary

A sphygmograph is a medical instrument used to graphically record the movements and characteristics of a person's pulse. It was invented around 1859 by French physiologist Étienne-Jules Marey, who also made significant contributions to the study of blood circulation and the development of motion picture technology. While Marey's original instrument has been modified, its basic principle of graphically recording pulse features remains in use today.12

It is important to distinguish the sphygmograph from a sphygmomanometer, which is an instrument used to measure blood pressure.3

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3 Britannica Sources
  1. sphygmograph
  2. sphygmomanometer
  3. Étienne-Jules Marey

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