Complete Record - Heirs of Hippocrates No. 670

SIR JOHN FLOYER (1649-1734) The physician's pulse-watch. Vol. I: Sam. Smith and Benj. Walford, 1707. [26] 440 pp. 18.7 cm.; Vol. II: London: F. Nicholson; W. Taylor; H. Clements, 1710. [8] xxviii, 468 pp. 19 cm.

For more information on this author or work, see number: 668

Study of the pulse and its role in diagnosis had been sporadic until the advent of Floyer's work early in the eighteenth century. A discerning clinician and capable scientist, he developed the scientific foundation for study of the pulse that eventually led to new methods of clinical practice. In this work, Floyer sought to organize and evaluate earlier concepts of the pulse and was greatly influenced by Johann Kepler (1571-1630), Galileo Galilei (1564-1642), Santorio (see No. 399), and Kircher (see No. 482). He was extremely interested in Chinese pulse lore and incorporated much of their thinking into his book. He was the first physician to incorporate timing the pulse into his regular clinical practice and he records numerous observations in which he tried to make correlations between pulse rates and rate of respiration, temperature, barometric pressure, age, sex, season of the year, and even the latitude where the readings were taken. His pulse watch was a major accomplishment in that it incorporated a second hand and a special lever to stop the mechanism when required. It was not until the latter half of the eighteenth century that watches with center second hands became commonplace. Although Floyer had a clear concept of the pulse mechanism, his understanding of physiology was largely Galenic and he tended to greatly overemphasize pulse numeration as he did with hydrotherapy. Nevertheless, Floyer was one of the first scientists to estimate the blood volume and its relationship to body weight and he performed an early experiment in which he attempted to imitate the pulse and circulation. The second volume of this set was published in 1710 and it is unusual to find them both together as in this set.

See Related Record(s): 399 482

Cited references: Cushing F211 (Vol. I only); Garrison-Morton 2670; Osler 2618 (Vol. I only); Waller 3092 (Vol. I only); Wellcome III, p. 35

Gift of John Martin, M.D.