Pump with lead for Hill and Barnard sphygmomanometer
Pump with lead for Hill and Barnard sphygmomanometer, by Ross Courtney and Co., c.1897
Hill and Barnard sphygmomanometer with case, by J.Hicks, English, c.1897, lead for Hill and Barnard
A sphygmomanometer is used to measure blood pressure. A rubber cuff was inflated above the elbow to block the pulse in the lower arm. When the pulse disappeared, the sphygmomanometer needle stopped vibrating to give a reading. This type of sphygmomanometer was invented in the 1890s by Sir Leonard Hill (1866-1952), a British physiologist, and Harold Barnard (1868-1908), a British surgeon. Measuring blood pressure as part of a health check did not become common practice until the 1920s. The device was made by James Joseph Hickman (1837-1916), a scientific instrument maker. It is shown here in a display depicting a consultation with a doctor in 1900.
Pump with lead for Hill and Barnard sphygmomanometer, by Ross Courtney and Co., c.1897