Steve's History of Things 5 - Blood pressure monitors

 

Nowadays you can monitor your blood pressure with a wearable wristwatch type device, but it hasn't always been so. Although the ancient Greeks had first come up with the idea of a circulatory system within the human body, it wasn't until 1711 that blood pressure was first measured, when the Reverend Stephen Hales stuck a glass tube into a horse's artery. The horse died. Fast forward 144 years to 1855 and a device with an inflatable cuff to constrict the artery, was used for the first time. It was a beast of a thing, standing five and a half feet (1.68m) tall, and giving somewhat inconsistent results. It took a further fifty years of research and development before a sphygmomanometer like this came into existence.

The beautifully crafted hardwood box and rubber ball and hose were replaced by ugly plastic, probably in the late fifties or early sixties, and in 1974, Panasonic released the first digital blood pressure manometer.

For collectors of vintage and scientific equipment, this is a lovely Accoson hospital model (Inst. No. 108109). It would also make a lovely presentation gift for anyone retiring from the NHS, and at £65 (£58.50 if you use the discount code below) well within the scope of a whip round.

Steve's History in association with Steve's Vintage Collectables

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Steve's History of Things - Introduction

 

Steve's History of Things In association with Steve's Vintage Collectables

For many years I have been writing about natural history. Since moving back to the old market town of Cockermouth in Cumbria, I have developed an interest in the past. Initially my interest lay in scientific instruments and discoveries (John Dalton, who is known for his discoveries of atomic theory and colour blindness, was born In Eaglesfield, a village just down the road). Since then it has expanded somewhat. My habit of buying interesting items was somewhat incompatible with living in a bachelor pad, and so I launched Steve's Vintage Collectables. Now I can buy stuff, live with it for a bit, and pass it on. This way, I can surround myself with ever changing interesting things.

From the logo, you can see that I have added Antique, Retro and Future to Vintage but, what's the difference? Let's start with Antique, as that is easier to define. It is pretty well universally acknowledged to mean an object over 100 years old. This barometer, for instance, made in the late 1800s by James Hicks of London is definitely an antique.

#Vintage is more difficult to define. Old, but too young to be called antique. I use it for items 65-100 years old (1922-1957). This sphygnomanometer (an old fashioned instrument for measuring blood pressure) probably just about falls into this range. It may possibly have been made in the early 1960s.

Retro is even more vague. It simply refers to things people like to collect from a bygone era, and has more to do with style than age. I use the term 'retro' on its own for things of the 1960s, 70s and 80s and 'vintage retro' for collectables from the 1920s to the 1950s. Anything after the 80s is too modern for me, but then again I'm bordering on vintage myself. This model Harrods delivery van candle is a collectable item from the 1980s which I would describe as retro. Etsy's automatic labelling defines it as 'Vintage Retro from the 1980s'. As I say, apart from Antique, the terms are not set in stone.

Occasionally, I buy a job lot at auction. The sphygnomanometer (which I wanted) came with a presentation German wine bottle from 1982 (which I didn't). What to do with it? I'd recently created a solar patio light from a vintage barometer case, for my sister's birthday, which I was rather proud of. I wondered if I could do something similar with the bottle. I'm still working on the light distribution, but here is the work in progress. I shall sign and date it SPD #2 '22. For who knows what will become collectable in the future? One thing is for certain: anything signed and dated by the creator of the piece stands a chance!

This has been by way of an introduction. Future posts are likely to be more specific, dealing with periods of history linked to specific items. I hope that you enjoy them and find them as interesting as I do. Researching the history of things has been truly fascinating.

All the best,

Steve

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