Willem Einthoven and the Development of the String Galvanometer. How an Instrument Escaped the Laboratory
2006; Routledge; Volume: 22; Issue: 4 Linguagem: Inglês
10.1080/07341510601003081
ISSN1477-2620
Autores Tópico(s)Neurology and Historical Studies
ResumoAbstract In 1901 the Dutch physiologist Willem Einthoven invented the string galvanometer. It was an instrument capable of recording weak electrical pulses in the human body. He used it to investigate the human heartbeat and in 1924 was awarded the Nobel Prize for medicine or physiology for the discovery of the mechanism of the electrocardiogram. Soon after his first publication he contacted a number of Dutch and international instrument makers with a view to persuading them to produce his apparatus. The correspondence between Einthoven and these instrument makers gives us an insight into the process from prototype through to sellable instrument. It also reveals that these instrument makers had an important part to play in the earliest development of the string galvanometer on its way to becoming an electrocardiograph. The first impression that the string galvanometer made on instrument makers appears to have been an important guiding factor in the direction taken by the technological development of the apparatus. Secondary considerations such as financial and legal matters were decisive in whether or not the instrument was actually made. Keywords: Willem EinthovenSiemens & HalskeCambridge Scientific Instruments CompanyCardiograph Notes [1] Einthoven, 'Un nouveau galvanomètre.' [2] Lawrence, 'Moderns and Ancients,' 1–33. [3] Burnett, 'The Origin of the Electrocardiograph as a Clinical Instrument,' 62. [4] Burch, 'The Development of the Electrocardiograph,' 31. [5] Snellen, Willem Einthoven (1860–1927), 114. [6] Einthoven, 'Un nouveau galvanomètre.' [7] Einthoven, 'Le télecardiogramme,' 239–72. [8] Einthoven, 'Un nouveau galvanomètre.' [9] Museum Boerhaave Leiden, Arch. 61L (MB61L). Letter from Einthoven to Siemens & Halske, 3 January 1902. [10] Von Siemens, Mijn leven, 48. [11] Feldenkirchen, Siemens 1818–1945, 370. [12] MB61L. Letter from Einthoven to Siemens & Halske, 13 September 1900. [13] MB61L. Letter from Siemens & Halske to Willen Einthoven, 21 January 1902. [14] Mooij, Instrumenten, 151. [15] This is indicated by the fact that Einthoven refers to earlier correspondence between him and Van Huffel: MB61L. Letter from Einthoven to Van Huffel, 4 December 1902. '… Nu wenschte ik den toestel te beschrijven en zou aan de beschrijving gaarne willen toevoegen, dat men het bij die en die firma kan verkrijgen. Ik kom dus weder bij u terug en ben bereid een redelijk voorstel Uwerzijds, zooals in Uw brief van 22 april 1901 vervat aan te nemen.' [16] MB61L. Letter from Van Huffel to Einthoven, 11 December 1902. [17] As a matter of reference, Einthoven's honorarium as a professor in physiology at the time was 6000 guilders per annum. [18] MB61L. Letter from Einthoven to Van Huffel, 24 April 1903. '… Wel is waar is Uw firma nog jong en zijn Uw relaties niet talrijk, zoodat gij wel veel risico ziet in het leveren van 20 exempl. maar daar staat toch tegenover, dat gij door middel van het instrument naar alle waarschijnlijkheid met een aantal Nederlandsche en wellicht ook met enige buitenlandsche laboratoria in relatie komt, wat juist voor een jonge firma als de Uwe van groote betekenis is.' [19] Van der Spek, 'Jan Willem Giltay.' [20] Mooij, Instrumenten, 112. [21] Giltay, Geïllustreerde Prijscourant. [22] MB61L. Letter from J. W. Giltay to Einthoven, 23 November 1903. ' … Het spijt me zeer dat ik er niet aan kan beginnen. Ik vind het een zeer interessant instrument, maar ik heb er werkelijk geen tijd voor, ik heb zooveel nieuwigheden onder handen, die minder hoofdbrekens en waarschijnlijk meer geld zullen opleveren, dat ik niet anders kan doen dan u bedanken voor 't in mij gestelde vertrouwen.' [23] Einthoven, 'Galvannometrische registratie van het menselijk electrocardiogram,' 101. [24] For instance, Einthoven published in the Nederlands Tijdschrift voor Geneeskunde; no other authors can be found on the subject of electrophysiology in this journal at the beginning of the 20th century. [25] Cattermole, Horace Darwin's Shop, 74. [26] Cattermole, Horace Darwin's Shop, 54. [27] Burnett, 'The Origins of the Electrocardiograph.' [28] MB61L. Letter from CSIC to Einthoven, 18 December 1903. [29] MB61L. Letter from CSIC to Einthoven, 25 November 1903. [30] MB61L. Letter from Einthoven to the Cambridge Scientific Instrument Company, 24 January 1904. [31] MB61L. Letter from Einthoven to the Cambridge Scientific Instrument Company, 20 January 1904. [32] Mooij, Instrumenten, 38. The Dutch government abolished the patent laws to encourage the free market system. Doorman, 'Het Nederlandsch,' 49. [33] MB61L. Letter from CSI to Einthoven, 29 January 1904. [34] MB61L. Letter from Edelmann to Einthoven, 12 February 1907. [35] Einthoven, 'Un nouveau galvanomètre.' [36] Edelmann sales catalogue, 1906, Katalog‐Samlung, Deutsches Museum. [37] Snellen, Willem Einthoven (1860–1927), 116. [38] MB61L. Letter from CSI to Einthoven, 9 November 1905. [39] MB61L. Letter from CSI to Einthoven, 30 October 1905. [40] Einthoven, 'Le télecardiogramme.' [41] Lewis, The Mechanism of the Heartbeat. [42] Lawrence, 'The New Cardiology,' 31. [43] Grob, The laboratory equipment of Willem Einthoven. 2000 glass negatives of Einthoven's ECGs are preserved in the Museum Boerhaave collection. [44] Hollman, Sir Thomas Lewis, 43. [45] Letter from Siemens to Einthoven, 17 September 1907. [46] Borck, 'Hertzstrom,' 81. [47] Einthoven, 'Le télecardiogramme.' [48] MB61L. Letter from Einthoven to Siemens & Halske, 20 September 1907. Einthoven demanded that the string galvanometer be sold under his name and that he be paid a 10% royalty per instrument sold. [49] MB61L. Letter from Siemens & Halske to Einthoven, 27 November 1908. [50] MB61L. Letter from Siemens & Halske to Einthoven, 23 December 1909. [51] Einthoven, 'Die galvanische Registrierung'; Einthoven, 'Weiteres über das Elektrokardiogramm.' [52] MB61L. Letter from Einthoven to Siemens, 23 January 1913. [53] MB61L. Letter from Siemens & Halske to Einthoven, 13 February 1913. [54] MB61L. Letter from Siemens & Halske to Einthoven, 17 February 1913. 'Aug. Leib's Patent 214165 would be of your special interest. As you can read in the note, it is not impossible that that patent is not legal at all. The point is, what is the date of the first printed publications (transactions, price lists, prospectus) dealing with the galvanometers produced by the Cambridge Scientific Instrument Co. I look forward to your answer. If the patent is not legal then I will inform you about the patentee, who so far is unknown to me.' [55] MB61L. Letter from Einthoven to Siemens & Halske, 7 March 1913. 'The Cambridge Com. informed me that they have sold their first table model. This piece was delivered in October 1905. In December 1905 another model was demonstrated at the exhibition of the "Physical Society" in London. More models were sold on the 6th of May 1906 and the 28th of January 1908. Although the first price list was published in May 1908, the company has spread a large number of descriptions of the instrument before this date. Although the company does not emphasise that these descriptions were printed, I do believe that these were printed. If there are doubts I can ask about it.' [56] MB61L. Letter from Siemens & Halske to Einthoven, 11 April 1913. 'Because we can make up from your letters that there are no printed publications about the string galvanometer of the Cambridge Scientific Instrument Co., which were printed before 29th of March, we are not in a position to take out legal steps against the German patent no. 214165.' [57] Von Siemens, Mijn leven. [58] MB61L. Letter from Siemens & Halske to Einthoven, 11 April 1913. 'We have demonstrated a working cardiograph at the conference and observed that there was a special predilection for the mirror galvanometer.' [59] Smithsonian Museum of American History, Trade catalogue, The Scientific Shop, Siemens& Halske Galvanometers Deprez‐d'Arsonval System. Available from http://www.si.edu/digitalcollections/trade-literature/scientific-instruments/files/52568 (accessed 7 June 2005). [60] Siemens & Halske, Preisliste. Additional informationNotes on contributorsBart GrobBart Grob is at Museum Boerhaave, National Museum of the History of Science and Medicine, PO Box 11280, 2301 EG Leiden, The Netherlands. E‐mail: research@museumboerhaave.nl
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