Blood Pressure History

In 1628, Dr. Harvey published Exercitatio Anatomica de Motu Cordis et Sanguinis in Animalibus (“On the Movement of the Heart and Blood in Animals”), which was the foundation for work on the circulatory system.

Over 100 years later in 1733, Reverend Stephen Hales recorded the first blood pressure measurement after developing a further understanding of the correlation between the heart and pulse and how it applies to blood pressure and volume.

This new knowledge allowed for the invention of the first sphygmomanometer (blood pressure monitor) in 1881 by Samuel Siegfried Karl Ritter von Basch.

However, it wasn’t until 1905 that Dr. Nikolai Korotkoff discovered the difference between systolic and diastolic blood pressures, further improving the sphygmomanometer by using a cuff that could be placed around the arm to provide equal pressure. Korotkoff discovered the varying sounds within the arteries as pressure was applied and released, and this remains the standard of blood pressure measurement to this day.

Here is what the US National Institution of Health says, Blood pressure can identify potential heart disease, stroke, eye problems, or chronic kidney disease.

All adults should have their blood pressure checked:
- Every 2 years if your blood pressure was less than 120/80 mm Hg at the most recent reading.
- Yearly if your last reading was 120 to 139/80 to 89 mm Hg or if you have high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease, kidney problems.
Wow, modern medical technology with a silly name and over a hundred years old.