When was the first accurate human blood pressure measurement made?
Quick Answer
The first direct blood pressure measurement in an animal was made in 1733, but practical human blood pressure measurement became possible in the late 19th century.
The Full Story
Stephen Hales measured blood pressure in a horse in 1733, but that was not a practical human method. The modern era of blood pressure measurement began in the late 1800s and early 1900s, when devices became usable in clinical care. A key milestone came in 1896, when Scipione Riva-Rocci introduced the inflatable cuff sphygmomanometer. Later, Nikolai Korotkoff described the sounds doctors use to measure systolic and diastolic pressure in 1905.
Key Facts
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