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  • The Sphygmograph & Pulse Writing

    The Sphygmorgaph is an 1800s device used to take measurements of a person’s pulse. It would record the movements on paper, thus making it a device used in Pulse Writing. Think of it as an old-timey EKG device or the closest thing to it for its time.

    An illustration of a Sphygmograph, wrapped around a patients arm and recording the pulse on paper.
    Marey’s Sphygmograph (1885) By Byrom Bramwell, Internet Archive. Public Domain.

    Did you Know?…

    Doctors have a “Tactus Eruditu” – a Learned Touch

    Before the 16th century, doctors would measure their patients’ pulse using only ‘tactus eruditu’ – a learned touch. At that point in history, there was no easy way to record or visualize the pulse, outside of the practitioner’s mind. [1]

    Pusiolgy was the First Device to Record The Pulse

    Santoria Sanctorius (1561 – 1636) invented the pusilogy, the first device to record the speed of the pulse, though it was still dependent on the physician’s touch. The input for the invention was the doctor’s movement of a pendulum in reference to the pulse he felt with his fingers. [2]

    Sources and Additional Reading

    [1] “The Sphygmograph: Its history and use as an aid to diagnosis in ordinary practice” (1882). This book is by Robert Ellis Dudgeon. Credit to the Medical Heritage Library for digitizing it and the Internet Archive for offering access.

    [2] “A Brief Journey Into the History of The Arterial Pulse” (2011) by Nima Ghasemzadeh and A Maziar Zafari. Found on PubMed Central, part of the National Library of Medicine.

  • Collie’s Special Delivery (1916) – Do Uneeda Biscuit?

    The reasons this photo caught me eye: a dog, a dog in sunglasses, a dog driving a wagon, biscuits…

    Surely if I encountered this in real life, I would purchase lots of Uneeda Biscuits from this cutie!

    A dog wearing sunglasses while posed on the seat of a wagon, the wagon is full of Uneeda Biscuit boxes.
    “Collie’s Special Delivery” (1916) by Dr. E. W. Smith. Credit to the Library of Congress. Public Domain.

    Did you Know?…

    A Cracker is a Hard Biscuit [1]

    The two words are often used interchangeably throughout history.

    Uneeda Biscuit Killed The Cracker Barrel

    In 1898, the National Biscuit Company(now called Nabisco) created the first moisture proof protective cracker packaging. The first product to utilize this new invention was none other than Uneeda Biscuit! [2]

    Before 1897, biscuits were sold in literal Cracker Barrels. Inspired by the idea of non soggy and individually packaged goods, many other biscuit brands exiled the cracker barrel. Now it is only known as a quirky restaurant and gift shop.

    Sources and Additional Reading

    [1] “Webster’s New Illustrated Dictionary…” (1911) by Noah Webster. Scanned by the Library of Congress and located on the Internet Archive. Page 271 for the definition of a cracker.

    [2] “Sixty Centuries of Progress in Biscuit Baking” (1933) by the National Biscuit Company. Credit to the University of Chicago’s Library.