10 interesting curiosities about the human pulse

One of the oldest methods employed to monitor human health is manual heart rate measurement through the pulse. However, do not think that the heartbeat is interpreted in the same way by everyone, just as something related to the heartbeat. In fact, different cultures take different aspects into consideration, resulting in very curious diagnostic methods.

In traditional Chinese medicine, for example, there are 12 pulse types - six for each wrist - and each is related to different organs. Ayurvedic medicine, developed in India thousands of years ago, interprets the pattern of heart rhythm as an indication of the balance of the three doshas, ​​the basic energies that influence the soul and body. Check out more interesting curiosities below:

1 - The ancient Egyptians measured the pulse in various parts of the body because they believed that the heart - considered by them as the source of all emotions, wisdom, memory, etc. - communicated through all members;

2 - Ancient Greeks - such as the famous physician Herophilus - considered four characteristics when taking a patient's pulse: frequency, strength, rhythm and duration;

Over time, doctors began to question what the characteristics considered by the Greeks meant exactly, and how they could be interpreted correctly through the touch of the fingers. Thus, in the 18th century, an English physician began to measure pulse rates for 1 minute periods, inventing a rudimentary technique for monitoring heart rate;

4. The techniques developed by the Chinese, which, as we have mentioned, consider 12 types of pulses, began to emerge during the Han Dynasty - from 206 BC to 220 AD - and today are supported by technologies such as the electrocardiogram to provide diagnostics;

5. Ancient Islamic medicine, also known as Unani Tibb, relied on elements of Greek, Chinese, and Ayruvedic traditions to develop its own diagnostic methods. Thus, doctors like Avicenna and Al-Razi were concerned to find out what the relationship between pulse rate and disease were, and even legend has it that Avicenna used her talent for measuring heart rate as a lie detector;

Another interesting tale involving Islamic physicians of the past refers to a clinician who did not even have to touch his patients to measure their pulse rate. According to the story, he put a thread around the patient's wrist and felt the vibrations produced by the beating;

7. Because the interpretation of pulsations requires a great deal of skill and sensitivity, some medieval Greek physicians even studied music to improve their techniques;

8 - According to WHO, the human heart must beat at a frequency between 60 and 100 times per minute. In fact, the heart of a healthy adult beats approximately 100, 000 times a day, 36 million times a year, and by age 70 it will have beaten about 2.5 billion times;

9 - Women's heart rate is usually faster than men's;

10 - A recent study by Swedish scientists showed that when a choir sings, its members' heart rhythms become synchronized.

* Posted on 8/29/2014

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