Physical diagnosis, including diseases of the thoracic and abdominal organs : a manual for students and physicians .. . upon the bony thorax, but in theinterspace. The reason for this will be consideredlater. That with which the blow is struck is called theplessor. For this purpose may be used the finger or• fingers of the right hand, or a small hammer of ivory,wood or some other elastic substance. Many types ofhammers have been advised, and the virtues of each onehas been extolled by the inventor, but all are inferiorto the finger, although proficiency in finger percussionis harder to attain,
Physical diagnosis, including diseases of the thoracic and abdominal organs : a manual for students and physicians .. . upon the bony thorax, but in theinterspace. The reason for this will be consideredlater. That with which the blow is struck is called theplessor. For this purpose may be used the finger or• fingers of the right hand, or a small hammer of ivory,wood or some other elastic substance. Many types ofhammers have been advised, and the virtues of each onehas been extolled by the inventor, but all are inferiorto the finger, although proficiency in finger percussionis harder to attain, and demands no little practice. Ordi- PERCUSSION. 81 narily the failure to appreciate the value of percussionas a means of diagnosis is due to imperfect fingers are bent in a crooked and uneasy position;the whole arm is then moved, and the blow is struckfrom the elbow. This blow is necessarily a heavy one,and, on account of the infrequency with which it isstruck and the length of time that the percussing fingerrests upon the pleximeter, suitable vibrations are not setup in the chest wall. Fig. Showing position of fingers in percussion. To get the clearest sound it is necessary that thefingers be bent from the second joint, so that the tips ofthe fingers are even, and they must strike squarely andquite vertically upon the pleximeter. The blow shouldbe struck entirely from the wrist, and should be a short,sharp tap, the percussing finger or fingers resting but ashort time upon the finger struck. (Fig. 23.) Lightpercussion can be performed by a motion of the fingeronly. Care should be taken by the beginner that the 6 82 TEE RESPIRATORY SYSTEM. nail of the hammer finger does not strike directly uponthe underlying finger. The blow should be struck withthe rounded end of the finger, just as it curves to meetthe palmar surface. A good way of obtaining the wrist motion is by plac-ing the entire arm flat upon the leaf of a table and strik-ing it from the wrist from
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