Accession No

2280

Brief Description

vibrating bar for an electrocardiograph, by Cambridge Instrument Company Ltd., English, 1930

Origin

England; Cambridge

Maker

Cambridge Instrument Company Ltd.

Class

medical; electrical

Earliest Date

1930

Latest Date

1930

Inscription Date

Material

metal

Dimensions

length 362mm; breadth 70mm; height 87mm

Special Collection

Provenance

Transferred from Department of Colloid Science, University of Cambridge, 11/1976.

Inscription

‘CAMBRIDGE
INSTRUMENT Co. LTD ENGLAND
C144665’ (support)
‘TIME MARKER BATTERY’ (by terminals)

Description Notes

Vibrating bar for ECG. The vibrating bar is supported on a rigid black-painted metal support with a hook at one end for suspension. Above the bar at the opposite end is an electromagnet and directly below the bar are 3 terminals. The bar has a weight at one end screwed in position. There is a spring contact with bar attached to the support which can be adjusted by an insulated screw.

References

Events

Description
By the early 1920s, the Cambridge Standard Electrocardiograph had become an established clinicial tool; however, demands on the use of the machine forced designers to modify the instrument. There were three problems in particular: the instrument was sensitive to vibrations (though this was later disproven), considerable skill and training was required for the successful operation of the machine, and lastly, the instrument was extremely heavy. In order create a more mobile apparatus for use in hospital wards, a trolley-mounted version of the Standard was developed. The instrument’s success as a diagnostic tool eventually led to the re-design of electrocardiograph as a portable instrument that could be carried by a medical practitioner. This is a vibrating bar for an electrocardiograph. It was acquired from the Department of Colloid Science at the University of Cambridge.

08/07/2014
Created by: Allison Ksiazkiewicz on 08/07/2014

FM:43347