53

The History of Bioelectromagnetism

surface (Rowbottom and Susskind, 1984). Te electrical activity from the human heart was recorded

as an electrocardiogram (ECG) with a highly distorted, using Lippmann’s capillary electrometer and

placing electrodes on the body surface, chest, and back. Tis was the frst recorded ECG in a clinical

and physiological setting. Inspired by Waller’s work, Willem Einthoven (1860–1927), a Dutch physiolo­

gist, University of Leyden, refned the recording technique. Waller used fve electrodes, one on each

of the four extremities and the mouth, to record ECG. Einthoven reduced the number of electrodes to

three from fve, which is today’s way to construct the Einthoven’s triangle. Using a quick quartz string

galvanometer, he presented the frst direct record of high-quality clinical ECG in 1908. Tis great work

brought him to be a pioneer in electrocardiography. As shown in Figure 2.10, the frst electrodes were

cylinders flled with electrolytes, which means that subject’s extremities need to bathe in saline solu­

tion flled the tubs (Barron, 1950). Te arc lamp, electrode jars, time motor, and falling plate camera are

shown in Figure 2.10. Further, Einthoven’s triangle as the basis for recording of ECG expanded rapidly in

the world. Einthoven talked about the production and sale of ECG recorder of quartz string galvanom­

eter with Horace Darwin of the Cambridge Scientifc Instrument Co. Ltd. of London. Horace Darwin

(1851–1928) was the founder of this company and the youngest child of Charles Darwin (1809–1882), a

British naturalist, geologist, and biologist. Afer talking, Horace Darwin sold the frst commercial ECG

machine. Einthoven received the Noble Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1924 for his discovery of the

mechanism of the electrocardiogram.

FIGURE 2.10 Te world frst model of ECG machine, 1911–1912. Tis frst model was installed in a basement at

University of Lewis (From Almay photo.)