# Measure of the Heart: Santorio Santorio and the Pulsilogium

## TL;DR

Santorio Santorio's 1626 pulsilogium was an innovative device that used pendulum principles to accurately measure pulse rate, exemplifying early scientific efforts to quantify physiological phenomena during a period of rapid scientific advancement.

## Contribution

The paper highlights Santorio's pioneering use of pendulum physics in medical measurement, linking early scientific principles to physiological instrumentation.

## Key findings

- Introduction of the pulsilogium as an early pulse measurement device
- Application of Galileo's pendulum insights to medical instrumentation
- Contextualization of Santorio's work within the scientific developments of the 17th century

## Abstract

In 1626, the Venetian physician Santorio Santorio published the details of his pulsilogium, a stop clock that could accurately measure one's pulse rate. He applied Galileo Galilei's insights that the frequency of a pendulum's oscillation is inversely proportional to the square root of its length. Santorio's inventions emerged at a time when the natural world and our solar system were beginning to be mapped in remarkable detail. Santorio was a true representative of his era, a period in which scientific developments came in rapid succession and measurements to support hypotheses became the norm.

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Source: https://tomesphere.com/paper/1702.05211