. Diseases of the heart and thoracic aorta. er ; the pulse in collapsebeing small and thready, while fatty and fibroiddegeneration of the left ventricle, with dilatation,are types of the In those cases in which the vessels are unduly con-tracted, as in peritonitis, the cirrhotic form of kidney disease,and the cold stage of fevers, during the rigor. The Compressibility or Strength of the Pulseis a point of great practical importance, for in many cases itindicates the condition of the vaso-motor nerve apparatus,and hence of the general tone of the system. The strength of the pulse
. Diseases of the heart and thoracic aorta. er ; the pulse in collapsebeing small and thready, while fatty and fibroiddegeneration of the left ventricle, with dilatation,are types of the In those cases in which the vessels are unduly con-tracted, as in peritonitis, the cirrhotic form of kidney disease,and the cold stage of fevers, during the rigor. The Compressibility or Strength of the Pulseis a point of great practical importance, for in many cases itindicates the condition of the vaso-motor nerve apparatus,and hence of the general tone of the system. The strength of the pulse is measured by the finger or bymeans of the sphygmograph, the amount of pressure requiredto obliterate the pulse-wave being (provided the arterialwalls are healthy) the true indication of the pulse-strength.^ Dr Mahomed gauges high tension in the following man-ner:— A line must be drawn from the apex of the up-stroketo the bottom of the notch preceding the dicrotic wave (, A C). No part of the tracing should rise above this line ;. (After Mahomed.) Fig. 125.—Mahomeds method of gauging high te7isio7i. The tidal wave rises above the dotted Hne drawn from the apex A, to the aortic notch C. if it does, then the pulse is one of high pressure. The heightof this notch is another good gauge of pressure ; the higher itis from the base line of the tracing the higher is the pressure,the nearer it approaches the line the lower is the pressure. When the arterial walls are inelastic and rigid, as in cases of atheroma, theamount of pressure required to obliterate the pulse is not a true criterion of itsstrength, for a certain (often a considerable) amount of pressure must be appliedbefore any influence is exerted upon the blood wave itself. The Tension oj the Pulse. 279 Lastly, the duration of systole compared to that of diastolemay perhaps be reckoned an important sign. Dr Mahomedbelieves that there is a normal length of systole for apulse of a given frequency, and that the length
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1880, booksubjectheart, bookyear1884
