At that time, close to the turn of the century, little was known about this subject. Medical study of the heart was very undeveloped, though the concept of electrocardiography had been introduced as early as the 17th century. British physiologist Augustus D. He sought a better method. A string galvanometer had been used earlier for purposes such as amplifying electrical signals over undersea cable.
Einthoven thought this technology might also work to measure the tiny electrical variations generated by the heart. In , he completed a model of a string galvanometer using a silver-coated, thin, lightweight quartz string, combining ideas from earlier research done by others in the field. Each current that passes through the quartz string was sent by electrodes attached to a patient's body. The electrodes would deflect the string when a small electrical charge on the body arose from the heart muscle.
The silver coating would make the string opaque when placed in a beam of light and would throw a shadow onto a plate. In and , he published papers that included numerous examples of electrocardiograms obtained from patients with various kinds of heart abnormalities. Then, from to he redirected his efforts, concentrating on the healthy heart in order to better recognize the electrical activity patterns it produces and thereby develop an improved capacity to detect disease-related differences from the patterns.
When Thomas Lewis published his classic text on the mechanism of the heart beat, he aptly acknowledged his debt to Einthoven by dedicating the work to the pioneering physiologist.
Heart doctors and physiological investigators around the world continue to owe similar credit to Einthoven. Though modern electrocardiograph machines have evolved since the early 20th century, they still function on the same basic principles exploited by Einthoven. For his discovery of the mechanism of the electrocardiogram, Einthoven was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in During his acceptance of the great honor, he modestly acknowledged the contributions of many others who had helped make the work possible.
It had taken three years of hard labour to achieve this. Till today the same labelling is used. He first published a detailed description of his galvanometer in His first publications were centred on the electrocardiogram in different heart conditions but later on, from he concentrated on the healthy heart in order to study its variations. The term "Einthoven's Triangle" is named after him and refers to the imaginary equilateral triangle referred to the chest.
For this achievement he was awarded the Nobel Prize in While accepting the Nobel Prize he acknowledged the work of those who had collaborated with him. This prototype then underwent further modifications to become the current standard model powered by transistors. He continued his research in other fields especially ophthalmology and optics. He was also interested in acoustics. More than physiology his main interest was in physics which bore fruit in his achievements.
Although it has been superseded by portable types and by models utilizing amplification techniques used in radio communication Einthoven has always mistrusted the use of condensers, fearing the distortion of curves , cardiograms from the string galvanometer have remained the standard of reference in numerous cases to this day. Einthoven was a member of the Dutch Royal Academy of Sciences, the meetings of which he hardly ever missed. He frequently took part in the debates himself, and his sharp criticism frequently found weaknesses in many a lecture.
There were four children: Augusta b. Clevering, an engineer; Louise b. Terlet, pastor emeritus; Willem — a brilliant electro-technical engineer who was responsible for the development of the vacuum model of the string galvanometer and for its use in wireless communication, and who was Director of the Radio Laboratory in Bandung, Java; and Johanna b. It was later edited and republished in Nobel Lectures.
To cite this document, always state the source as shown above. He died on the 29th of September, , after long suffering. Back to top Back To Top Takes users back to the top of the page. Nobel Prizes Thirteen laureates were awarded a Nobel Prize in , for achievements that have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind. See them all presented here. Select the category or categories you would like to filter by Physics.
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